An Ordinary Life
by Saintsavory
Summary: Piper is released from prison after serving her sentence. This is a story about what happens when she's a free woman and how that affects her relationship with Alex.
1. Chapter 1

She'd only flown twice as a child, both times with her grandmother by her side, easing her fear of flying by telling her to imagine sleeping on the clouds. As an adult, Piper occasionally thought about sleeping on clouds, though her rational mind told her that was an impossibility since clouds are made up of tiny water droplets. But her first night in a bed that wasn't a prison-issued matress, punctured by worn-out springs, was exactly what she'd imagined sleeping on clouds would be like.

Her father had picked her up from Litchfield at 1 p.m., which was an hour and a half later than scheduled because of delayed paperwork. She was thankful that her mother hadn't come along for the ride—that long of a delay might have encouraged her to leave without her daughter, explaining to the powers that be that she would have to return the next day when the paperwork was settled. Besides, Mrs. Chapman would think, what was one more day in prison?

Bill Chapman gave his daughter a quick hug and a peck on the forehead before ushering her to a shiny, new Buick parked in the first stall. "It's great to see you," he said, opening the car door for her. "Your mom wanted to come, but she has a roast in the oven."

Piper refrained from rolling her eyes at the thought of her mom coming up with such an excuse, and her father falling for it. Instead, she settled for a taut smile, hoping it was enough to convince her father that she was fine with her own mom not retrieving her after 22 months of incarceration.

"You must be ready for a home cooked meal." He started the engine, and then reset the mileage tracker.

Food was the last thing on Piper's mind, though when her father mentioned it, she figured it _would_ be nice to eat something not past its pull-date or tinged with metalic-looking edges. She settled for, "Can't wait," though her mother's cooking was not something she dreamed about in prison. If she had it her way, they'd grab a slice of Frank Pepe's pizza and a large Coke and keep driving until they reached her grandmother's house. Piper knew that her family had sold the old house and made a handsome profit, but that was the only place that had felt like _home_ her entire life.

"So, what are you most looking forward to now that you're a free woman?" Bill tried.

"Getting my own place," was what she _wanted_ to say; instead, she settled for, "Sleeping in a real bed."

Her father switched the windshield wipers on as it began to drizzle. "We've got you set up in the basement. We kept your bed, but we converted your old room into an office."

"An office?" Piper whipped her head around. "Who needs an office?"

"It's more of a computer room," he replied, eyes trained on the road. "Your mom is into all sorts of home decorating online applications or whatever those things are."

Piper suppressed a sigh and folded her arms tightly against her chest. Her father went on about the internet and social media for what Piper assumed was another 15 minutes, but she wasn't listening. Her mind drifted to the past rather than the future.

* * *

When Alex was 'safely' back at Litchfield after violating her parole, it took weeks before she'd even _looked_ at Piper, much less talk to her former lover. It's not that Piper didn't care or didn't want Alex to forgive her for getting her thrown back into that shit hole; rather, Piper lived with the fact that Alex was safe—or at least safer than she was at her apartment in Queens. The blonde reminded herself daily that Alex's _safety_ trumped her _forgiveness_.

During the fourth week of Alex's return to Litchfield, the two women found themselves alone in the laundry room. Piper refused to avoid Alex; if Alex didn't want to see her, she could walk away.

Piper surveyed the area, realizing they were alone, and dropped her laundry bag onto the table in front of her ex-lover. "It's been four weeks, Alex. Are you going for a record to see how long you can go without acknowledging my presence?"

As if baited like a worm on a hook, Alex replied, "I didn't even notice you."

"Will you please just _look_ at me?" Piper stepped forward, but the wide table between them might as well have been a brick wall.

"Why?" Alex continued folding uniforms.

"I'm not invisible, you know." Piper announced. "You can't make me go away just by wishing it."

"Can I make you go away by _asking_, then?" The dark haired woman huffed, eyes trained on a piece of lent stuck on the sleeve of a gray sweatshirt.

"No. No, you can't." She crossed her arms defiantly. "This is so fucked up. Just _talk_ to me."

"I _am_ talking to you, moron." She swung around and opened the dryer to retrieve more clothes.

"Fine, if that's the way you're going to be…" Piper proceeded, "I'm the one who got you thrown back in here. I know you know that; I'm saying it out loud. You can be angry or frustrated or sad or all of the above. I don't really care. You're safer in here than you were on the outside, and I wouldn't change what I did because of that."

"Thanks for telling me how I can feel." Alex let out an incredulous laugh. "And fuck you for doing that."

Finally, Piper thought: a reaction. "Fuck _you_ for leaving me hanging in Chicago!"

"We've been over this, Piper," Alex whined. "You told me you were going to tell the truth. How was I supposed to know you'd change your tune and _lie under oath_? Such an unlikely thing for you to do."

The blonde inhaled sharply and let the breath come out slowly, calming her. "You're right, we _have_ been over this and there's no point in bringing it up again. One of us always seems to do the wrong thing at the right time." She toyed with the tag around the neck of her laundry bag. "I _am_ sorry that I got you thrown back in prison, but I didn't know what else to do."

"I had a plan, Piper." Alex finally looked at her ex. "I was going to leave the next day for the Virgin Islands," she said louder than she probably intended. "I was _12 hours_ away from being done with this crap, and you went and fucked it all up!"

Their eyes met for a moment, both filled with hurt, anger and regret. Piper knew there was no quick-fix solution—there never was for them. As much as it felt like Alex was inevitible, it often felt like the world conspired to keep them apart. At every turn, one of them made the wrong choice—from Alex asking Piper to make a quick drug run to Istanbul to Piper leaving when Alex's mother died—they both acted in their own best interest until the trial in Chicago, when they finally did something for the sake of the other. For once, Piper had thought, _I'm going to follow my heart and do the right thing. I'm going to lie for this person I love_. Turns out, Alex was thinking along the same lines. It backfired like a slingshot shooting a pebble in the wrong direction.

It seemed like it was only a matter of time before one of them fucked it up again.

"Maybe I did." Piper shrugged. "But you're safe, and I don't regret that."

"And you're not _alone_ in here, right, Piper? Isn't that what you were _really_ after?" The brunette put her hands on her hips and lifted her chin. "Now that your fiancé is fucking your best friend, you don't have anyone, so you thought you'd try to coax me back into your web." Alex shook her head. "No fucking thank you."

"Enough already, kids!" Nicky shrieked upon entering the room, "As much as you two think you're in your own little world, as fucked up as it is, there are like 200 women and 10 guards right outside that door who could hear every word you say if they stepped a little closer."

Chapman wondered if Nicky was perceptive enough to see the fire in Alex's eyes and Piper's sagging shoulders.

"Don't worry," Alex said, picking up a pair of khaki pants and shaking the legs. "We're done here."

"I'd like to believe that; I really would." Nicky sauntered closer to the folding table, eyes darting between the two women. "Look, you're not kidding anyone but yourselves. So if I were you, I'd find time in your 'busy' schedules to sit down and talk about who fucked who over this time around, and then _get the fuck over it_." She dropped her laundry bag onto the table as if she were dropping the mic after a solo performance at a club.

* * *

They arrived at the Chapman home with some amount of fanfare. Her dad honked the horn three times and Cal appeared from behind the big tree in the front lawn with a poster in his hands. Neri was in the tree with a roll of string and a pair of scissors.

Seeing her brother was the first thing that made Piper genuinely smile. She rolled down the window and yelled his name.

"Hey, big sis, or should I say 'big house' sis?"

As soon as the car was parked, Piper leapt out and threw her arms around Cal, who let the 'welcome home' banner fall to the ground.

"What's this?"

"Neri and I made it for you," he said, bending to retrieve the wrinkled poster board, "But we couldn't figure out how to hang it."

"A little help over here," Neri said from her perch on the first branch. "Hi, Piper. Welcome home!"

"Hi, Neri." Piper waved. "Thanks."

She only had one small, plastic bag with her items in it, so she rejected Cal's offer to "help with her shit," and proceeded to the front door, as ready as she'd ever be to face her mother.

Piper had to admit that the house smelled good—like properly cooked meat and possibly Brussels sprouts—but it looked nothing like the way she'd remembered it. Over the back of the sofa, a plaid blanket replaced the afghan that her grandmother had knitted for Christmas in the 80s; her father's worn out recliner, perpetually stuck in the recline position, was replaced by a sturdy leather armchair; and the portrait of their family that her mother had commissioned when the kids were younger no longer hung above the fireplace; rather, a gold-trimmed mirror took its place, reflecting the multitude of fake candles on the mantle.

Carol Chapman appeard from the kitchen, wearing a tea length floral dress with a red apron over it, doing her best imitation of a 1950s housewife, complete with a string of pearls. Her heels clicked on the pine floors as she approached her daughter. "Piper, welcome home." She hugged the younger Chapman with a pat on the back, and then quickly released her. "Your father probably told you where you'll be staying. Why don't you go downstairs and put your things away? Dinner will be ready in ten minutes. We're all tired after such a long day."

It was as if Carol Chapman had no idea what her daughter had been through for two years.

Piper glanced at the plastic bag in her hands, then back up at her mom. "Did you keep any of my old clothes?"

"We gave most of your stuff to charity when you left after college," Mrs. Chapman stated, walking back into the kitchen. "Cal, see if you can help Piper find that box we saved."

They ventured into the basement, which was dark and damp, but Piper spotted her old double bed at the far end of the room, and kept walking until she literally fell onto the soft surface.

"You ok?" Neri asked, trailing down the narrow steps behind her husband.

"My bed," the blonde muffled, her mouth fully pressed into a pillow. "It's nice to have my bed."

* * *

Piper had never gotten accustomed to her thin, wiry prison bed. Even when she returned from the SHU, whose beds were slightly worse for the wear, her cell bed was just as uncomfortable as it was when she first arrived at Litchfield. She didn't know which was worse—the mattress or the blanket that felt like a thousand Brillo pads sewn together. If she slept on her back, on top of the covers, she could usually sleep through the night.

"Hey, Chapman," Nicky announced, entering her cell and plopping down on the edge of the blonde's bed. "Were your ears ringing a few minutes ago?"

She lowered her Didion and regarded the intruder. "Should they have been?"

"Your girl almost got into it with a bunch of wild, young things." She tucked one leg under the other. "Defending your honor and shit. Like a heroine in one of your boring ass novels."

"I'm sorry." Piper creased her brow. "Who did what?"

"Alex," Nicky said like it was the most obvious guess in the world. "Those trashy inmates from the ghetto were role playing in the bathroom this morning, and one of them was pretending to be you while the other one simulated sex from behind." Nicky stuck her arms out to demonstrate. "Alex told them to cut it out, and they gave her some lip, asking if she wanted to 'get in on some Chapman action.' Clearly they didn't know your history, right?" She smiled and shoved her long sleeves past her elbows. "Alex just about lost it; pushed one of them and told her if she wanted to keep her teeth she'd shut the fuck up and never even _think_ about you again."

Piper didn't realize she'd grabbed a fistful of blanket and her knuckles were turning white. She looked forward, right through Nicky.

"Hello, Chapman?" Nicky waved a hand in front of her face, trying to get her attention. "Listen, I don't pretend to understand what's going on with you two, I'd need a map and a magnifying glass for that, but Alex doesn't usually fly off the handle. Maybe talk to her or something." She stood and walked toward the cell entrance. "If you don't, somebody's gonna get hurt."

Piper sat in her bed, shocked that Alex would defend her for one, and resort to physical violence for another. She figured it wasn't jealousy—Alex was not the envious type. She likely did it out of protection, which made Piper consider her own reasons for sending Alex back to prison: protection.

She darted out of bed, put on her shoes and went in search of her ex-lover. She wasn't in her bunk or in the bathroom or the cafeteria. Piper asked a few inmates along the way if they'd seen Alex. By the time she got to Flaca, the young girl pointed towards the game room. "Last time I saw her, she was schooling some putas in Scrabble."

The blonde walked briskly to the game room, remembering intrinsically to keep both feet on the ground. She rounded the corner and spotted Alex at a table with Black Cindy, Taystee and Poussey.

"Alex!" Piper called. "I need to talk to you."

"Hey, College, get your skinny ass over here." Black Cindy motioned for the blonde, and then pointed to the makeshift Scrabble board. "Is _invidious_ a real word, or is this bitch making shit up?"

Piper kept her eyes trained on Alex. "It means resentment or envy."

"I'm busy," Alex stated, drawing six tiles from the Ziploc bag.

"Ya'll wouldn't know nothing about _resentment_, now, would ya'll?" Taystee countered, looking at her friends with a knowing smile.

"Fine." Piper walked closer to the table. "What happened in the bathroom this morning?"

The dark haired woman's eyebrows shot up. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Nicky told me that you got in a fight," she paused. "About me."

"Damn, this be some drama up in here!" Black Cindy turned her chair around. "It's like a game of Chess! Your move, Lurch."

"What you know about Chess?" Taystee questioned. "It's more like those stories my granny used to watch on Channel 7!"

Poussey chimed in, "Like Days of Our Lives and shit!"

"That the one with that fine piece of black meat, Shemar Moore?" Black Cindy asked.

"No fool," Taystee playfully slapped her arm. "Shemar played Malcolm Winters on Young &amp; the Restless!" She stood and thrusted her hips forward in a sexual motion, and Poussey joined her antics as they all laughed.

Alex huffed as she stood, swinging one leg over the back of the chair. She shoved it towards the table and pulled Piper out of the room by her wrist.

Piper realized this was the first physical contact they'd had in more than a month. It lasted only seconds, but the burn on her skin was tangible. She felt her pulse quicken at the touch, and it slowly returned to normal when Alex released her.

"There were some women in the bathroom talking shit about you, and I asked them to stop." Alex began without preamble. "That's all."

"Nicky said you shoved one of them," Piper challenged.

"Nicky needs to mind her own fucking business." She pushed her glasses higher on her nose.

"Why would you do that?" Piper asked with a hopeful voice.

"I don't know…instinct, I guess." The brunette looked at her feet. "It doesn't mean anything. I'm still not talking to you."

"You did it to protect me." Piper took a tiny step forward, invading Alex's space. "Don't fucking deny it, Alex. That's why you did it."

Alex let her back and then her head fall hard against the cinder-block wall. "Why do we fucking do _anything_, Piper?" She rubbed her eyes with her thumb and forefinger under her glasses. "Yes, I did it to protect you. I don't want some Redneck, horny, gay-for-the-stay bitches to _rape_ you while you're sleeping."

Piper winced at the severity of her words. "Jesus, Alex."

"They could, you know," Alex continued, raising her glasses to the top of her head. "They might not be strung out junkies, but they're in here for a reason—they're dangerous."

Piper sighed and looked around, making sure no one else was within earshot. "Then we're even."

"The fuck we are!" The brunette let out a garish laugh. "I'm protecting you from being attacked in prison by threatening some inmates. You fucking got someone to call the federal parole office to get me locked up again. We are NOT even. Not by a longshot." She turned to walk away and got two steps down the corridor before Piper called her name.

"Please don't leave." This time it was Piper grabbing her ex's wrist. She wondered if Alex could see desperation in her eyes. "Meet me tomorrow in the greenhouse right after breakfast."

Alex looked up and shook her head with a cynical smile. "This is so ridiculous."

"Please, Alex." Piper released her wrist.

Alex's right hand immediately covered her left wrist where Piper's hand had been. The act was not lost on Piper.

"Fine." She walked down the hallway and disappeared around a corner.

END CHAPTER ONE

Author's Note: This story is complete; I just haven't divided it into chapters yet. My guess is that it will be somewhere around 10 chapters. It is currently 26,500 words. Feedback would be nice. Thank you in advance.


	2. Chapter 2

After dinner, Piper's parents disappeared into the living room, leaving Cal, Neri and Piper to do the dishes. Of course Carol Chapman protested, "Don't be silly. I'll get to these in the morning before my hair appointment." And Cal followed with a generous eye roll. "We got it, mom."

"I don't know how I'm going to do this," Piper sighed as she filled the dishwasher with Fiestaware.

"I wish you could stay with us, but our setup isn't exactly conducive to overnight guests," Cal replied, picking at the leftover roast and popping pieces into his mouth.

"Cal told me you were in jail with your ex-girlfriend," Neri stated as she rinsed the silverware.

Piper noticed Cal shoot Neri a stern glance.

"It's ok; you can ask." She shared the whole story, well most of it, to catch Neri up on what her brother already knew. She filled both of them in on the details of the last six months, including the part about Larry and Polly.

"That is seriously fucked up." Cal's eyebrows might as well have reached his hairline. "I never took Polly as the cheating type." He quickly added, "Or you as a lesbian, but that's already been established."

Piper rested both hands on the countertop and lowered her head, ignoring Cal's comment about being a lesbian; now wasn't the time to explain bisexuality. "She did me a favor by calling Alex's parole officer, so that's something, I guess."

"So _you're_ the reason Alex is in prison for the second time?" Neri probed.

"Go ahead, say it." Piper threw a dish towel onto the drying rack. "Everything about my life is fucked up. I'm living in my parents' basement, my ex-fiancé is living with my best friend, and my girlfriend is living in a federal penitentiary."

"At least you're out of prison." Cal sat on a barstool at the far end of the counter. "Perspective, yo."

That earned him a small smile. "Very true."

He whipped his head around as realization dawned on him. "Wait, your _girlfriend_? I didn't hear the 'ex' part."

"It's complicated, Cal, and I really don't have the energy to talk about it tonight." She plopped down on the stool next to him.

Neri grabbed a couple of beers out of the refrigerator, holding two up to see if her husband and Piper wanted one. "So now that you're out, what happens with you and Alex?"

The blonde accepted the Coors Light. "I have no fucking idea."

* * *

Piper and Alex hadn't sat together at meal time since the tall woman's return to prison, and this day was no different. The blonde rushed through breakfast, which consisted of an over-ripe banana and a piece of stale bread with creamy peanut butter, and then proceeded to the greenhouse, ensuring that Alex noticed her exiting the dining hall.

She waited only five minutes before Alex found her way to their prearranged meeting place.

"How was breakfast?" Piper tried, knowing full well that Alex would be in no mood for idle chatter.

"Shitty as usual," the brunette replied, looking around the dilapidated greenhouse. "Why am I here?"

For a moment, Piper wished it was spring and that the greenhouse was filled with potted lilies and roses and jasmine. There would be new, colorful growth, and the air would smell sweet. Instead, the plastic flower pots that remained since the greenhouse closed were scattered on the floor and along the wooden tables around the edges. They were either stacked high or had fallen over, dirt spilling out. The space was humid and smelled like fungus.

"Thanks for coming." Piper shoved one of her white shirt sleeves past her elbow. "I wanted to say that you that you were right."

Alex raised her eyebrows.

"You were right about the reasons why I wanted you to come back to Litchfield. First, to protect you, but second, because I don't want to be alone." She paused and took a deep breath, watching Alex's unchanged countenance carefully. "I've felt more alone these last two months with you _right next to me_ than I have my whole adult life."

Piper would swear that she saw Alex flinch, but she blinked and the reaction was gone.

"Why have I never been here before?" Alex righted a plastic flower pot, and then walked to the far end of the room, seemingly ignoring Piper's admission. "This place has serious potential."

_For_ _what_, Piper wanted to ask, but instead, she allowed Alex to come to terms with her admission in her own time.

After a lengthy, awkward moment, Alex asked, "What part of you thought I wouldn't figure it out?" She wiped a pile of dirt off a ledge with her palm, then rubbed the dirt between her index finger and thumb as if it was the first time she'd touched the crust of the earth. "I mean, seriously, Piper, did you honestly not think I'd put two and two together to know it was you who turned me in?"

Piper could've used that opportunity to point out the irony of her ex-girlfriend's statement. It would've been so easy to remind the brunette why she, Piper Elizabeth Chapman, was in prison to begin with. _What goes around, comes around_ floated through her brain for the briefest of moments, but she knew this was not the time nor the place for that.

"At the time…" The blonde swallowed hard. "…I didn't care if you knew it was me."

"And suddenly, you do?" Alex wiped her dirty hand on her pants and shook her head. "I remember you telling me a long time ago that I was ruining everything good in my life by choosing my line of work. I was too involved to give a fuck about what you'd said. The money was great, and the travel was amazing, but now I get it. You were right—I lost _you_, Piper, and that fucking _stung_." She retreated to the back corner of the greenhouse and stacked four flower pots as if she needed to distract herself by doing _something_. "And now here we are, and _you're_ the one who's lost everything good in your life. You chose Larry; he chose Polly; and now what? You choose _me_?"

Piper lowered her head as if being admonished by her teacher at a younger age.

Alex whipped her head around, pointing her finger at her chest. "I am not your fucking consolation prize!"

Piper could see the fury in her eyes, but she also witnessed the pain. Her ex-lover was close enough for her to see green and blue specks in her eyes behind the black frames.

"I've never thought of you as a consolation prize, Alex." Piper's voice was thick with honesty and regret, and her eyes burned like she'd been awake for days. "I chose Larry because I wanted that security. I chose him because that's what I was _supposed_ to do. He's who I'm _supposed_ to want."

Alex scoffed and turned her back. Silence descended upon them like a heavy blanket. The only sounds were the cacophony of prisoners at rec time outside and a cricket, chirping somewhere in the room.

"Tell me this," the dark haired woman began, still with her back to her ex-lover. "If Larry didn't sleep with Polly, and things had turned out differently, would you have chosen him in the end?"

She bit her lower lip and contemplated that question. "Probably, but it wouldn't have lasted even until I got out of here."

Alex looked down at the table in front of her and let out a dubious laugh. "Figures."

"But see, Alex," the blonde said in a low voice, walking towards the taller woman. "Turns out, I'm _not_ supposed to be with him."

She could see Alex clench her fists and release. Piper was mere inches away from her, and if she reached out, she could touch her former lover.

So she did.

Piper raised her left hand, placed it gently on Alex' bicep, and let it slowly glide down her arm. She felt goose bumps along the way, and she could feel her own skin prickling. She let her fingertips graze the back of her ex-lover's hand, and then wedged her fingers through Alex's like a glove.

"Piper," came out as a warning, but Alex didn't budge.

She moved forward until her breasts were touching Alex's back, placing her right hand on her broad shoulder. The vein in Alex's neck pulsed rapidly at the touch. Piper craned her neck just a little higher, and when it was level with the dark haired woman's ear, she whispered, "You're in my fucking bloodstream."

The taller woman turned around and captured Piper's lips in a frantic move that could hardly be described as a kiss. Alex's hand cupped her face tightly, and both women fought for purchase. For a fleeting moment, Piper was reminded of the first time they'd kissed in the chapel that one Thanksgiving. It was all hands and arms and lips and tongues—nothing precious or sweet or tender about it. It wreaked of _desperation_.

* * *

Author's Note: Sorry this was such a short chapter. I have a feeling there will be a couple like this, and a few longer ones. Again, feedback is always much appreciated.


	3. Chapter 3

The following morning, Piper awoke chilled to the bone, with the sound of the hot water heater, gurgling in her ear. _The joys of sleeping in a basement_, she thought. Nevertheless, she'd gotten a good night's sleep for the first time in as long as she could remember.

She padded upstairs to find her mother buttering a slice of wheat toast. "Good morning."

"Piper, you're up early. Tea?" Her mom repeatedly dipped a saturated bag into her own mug.

"Coffee," Piper replied groggily.

Carol Chapman humphed and drug her teacup across the counter. "Your father and I gave up coffee at the start of the year. Too much caffeine. I've got chamomile and Earl Grey."

The younger Chapman rolled her eyes, making a mental note to look for the coffee maker in the basement. "I'll get coffee later. Figured I'd go for a run."

"I want you to go through those boxes in the basement." Carol took a bite of toast. "Many of them are from your grandmother's house. Cal packed them—your father and I couldn't bear it—so God only knows what's in them."

Her mother's insensitivity and _need to not be bothered_ angered Piper, but she knew not to make a commotion about it; it wouldn't solve anything.

"Morning, sunshine," Piper's dad announced, adjusting his tie as he entered the kitchen.

Not that she'd expected it, but no offer was made to prepare a grand breakfast on her first morning home. It was as if no time had passed between high school and being released from prison. On the one hand, Piper wished her family was more sympathetic and joyous about her return. On the other, it would make leaving home that much easier. She didn't have a plan for that yet, which bothered her considerably. Money was the primary factor, and the thought of talking to Polly about reviving the soap business made her nauseous—she was not ready for a conversation with Polly about _anything_.

Before she was released from Litchfield, the blonde thought about the different scenarios _that could have been _upon her departure from prison.

Scenario One, Larry: Before everything that happened in prison, well, happened, Piper imagined her fiancé picking her up from prison, asking about her stay, and then going home to order from their favorite Chinese restaurant. They'd eat too much Kung Pao Chicken and drink too much Tsingtao, but they'd go to sleep fully satiated, prepared to face the next day together.

Scenario Two, Polly: If things didn't work out with Larry, which now that she reflected upon it, was more than likely from the start, Polly would pick her up from Litchfield. They'd return to her and Pete's flat where Finn would be crawling on the furniture and Pete would be cooking his famous Shepherd's Pie. Polly would make a fuss about_ Aunt Piper_ holding baby Finn until she obliged, and then Pete would take the infant for a bath. Polly and Piper would catch up on life, and then discuss the future of Poppy.

Both scenarios seemed logical and acceptable, and both had a positive nod to the future. Trouble was, neither came to fruition, so she was stuck with scenario three: The Chapman's.

As Bill Chapman was about to leave for work, Piper informed him that she had no clothes and no money, and he pulled out a wad of cash, as he often did in the past to keep the peace, and told Piper to get whatever she needed. Piper wished it was enough to get her own place, but at that time, she'd settle for a few t-shirts, a pair of jeans and a cup of coffee.

She found her old Nike running shoes from high school, shoved in her old bedroom closet, so she wore those with a pair of Cal's old rugby socks. She also located a pair of maroon corduroy pants and a long sleeved, gray V-neck sweater that would do just fine. Piper was determined to go through the boxes in the basement to look for more clothing later, but she figured if she'd left the clothes at her childhood home for this long, she probably didn't want them then, nor would she want to wear them now.

There were a host of things that she needed to do this week in addition to buying new clothes and checking in with her parole officer—like go to the bank to find out how much money she still had in her checking account, reconnect her cell phone service (and possibly get a new phone), and look for a temporary job. Staying busy, she thought, would keep her mind off of Alex.

However, she thought about Alex at every turn. She wondered if she'd finished reading _The Amber Spyglass_, what she'd eaten for breakfast, and if she'd thought of her in the shower that morning. They'd agreed to talk on the phone every other day, even if only for five minutes. Piper was counting down the seconds until she heard that familiar, husky voice.

* * *

"This doesn't change much, Piper," Alex said with a long sigh after a thorough make out session in the greenhouse that could have gone much further if it weren't for the intrusion by one of the Golden Girls, looking for a place to smoke in peace. "I'm not suddenly your girlfriend again."

"I'm ok with that, at least for now." The blonde put her head on her ex-lover's chest and tightened her arms around her waist. She could feel Alex's hand tangled in the hair at the base of her neck, and it felt so _fucking_ good. "It's nice to _feel_ you."

Piper sensed Alex's grip on her tighten, but then she let go, placing Piper at a careful distance in front of her.

She didn't return Piper's verbal sentimentality; rather, she pushed her glasses higher on her nose and said, "We have a lot of shit to discuss. And if I'm being honest, I don't trust you all that much, Piper, at least not your feelings for me that seem to get turned on and off like a faucet."

"That's fair," the blonde replied with a thick breath. She stepped closer and put a hand over Alex's chest. "I know what I want now, Alex; _who_ I want."

* * *

When she took the first sip of her double espresso, Piper closed her eyes and savored the dark, rich liquid. She was reminded of her reaction when Mr. Healy brought donuts to the council more than a year ago. There was nothing like the absence of something (someone, too) to make her appreciate it more. She took her time with the espresso and read that day's edition of the _New York Times_—a treat for someone who only got the previous week's issues, if she was lucky, at Litchfield. She munched on a croissant with fresh strawberry jam and thought about her and Alex's time in Paris where breakfasts like this were common. She didn't dwell on the fact that like today, she was mostly alone in France. The absence of Alex then and now affected her to the core.

It wasn't that she'd _wanted_ to leave all those years ago; rather, she felt that she had to. All Alex had to do back then was pay more attention to her—take her to dinner, whisk her away to Athens for a couple of nights, eat breakfast with her at a Parisian café—give Piper _any_ sign that their relationship was more important than her work. What she feared most was the answer to that question.

Piper thought about Paris often and wondered if she had to do it all over again, would she have stayed? On the one hand, she knew that Alex's work would always require her immediate attention and response, often at the most inconvenient times. On the other, Piper loved the travel and her girlfriend and wanted both in her life. Despite considering her options all these years later, she still didn't know what was the right or wrong thing to do. The fact that Alex's mother had died and she still left, well, that was something she wished she could take back entirely. It was the _timing _of her leaving, not the actual situation that bothered her to this day.

As she departed The Daily Buzz, she reflected on her liberty. The fact that she could walk wherever she wanted felt like the greatest gift she'd ever received. With every breath she took of the clean, crisp air, she was thankful for her freedom. She felt _so free_ that she even considered thanking Mr. Christ.

After a quick trip to the local thrift store to buy clothing essentials, the most welcome surprise that morning came when Piper learned that her checking account was still active and had a balance of nearly $2,000. She was gratified that she and Larry hadn't combined their bank accounts; what was hers was hers; at least _that_ part of the breakup was clean.

Piper rushed into her parent's house at 12:55, hoping that she hadn't missed Alex's call. She knew that Alex wouldn't leave a message, so if she missed the call, they wouldn't connect until Friday.

She put her bags of new clothes on the sofa and waited not so patiently for the phone to ring. She only had to wait two minutes before the familiar chime sounded from the cordless phone on the end table.

She heard the familiar introduction: _an inmate from Litchfield Federal Prison is calling_, and her smile widened. "Hi."

"HI, "Alex responded. Piper could almost hear the smile in her voice. "How's life on the outside, kid?"

"Pretty good, but I've only been out for 24 hours." Piper sat down and cradled the phone between her ear and shoulder. "How are you?"

"Same shit, different day," Alex groaned. "Nothing new to report here other than a game of charades gone wild."

"Sounds more exciting than life at the Chapman home." Piper opened a bottle of Coca-Cola and took a big swig. That familiar burn felt delightful going down her throat.

"Do tell." She pictured Alex leaning against the wall.

"I'll just get worked up talking about it," Piper admitted. "Suffice it to say that my parents' house looks unfamiliar, they don't drink coffee any more, and I'm sleeping in the basement because my former bedroom is now an office."

"Sounds a whole lot like freedom to me," the brunette retorted.

"I'm not complaining, Alex, I'm just saying this isn't what I wanted when I got out." She put the cap back on the Coke bottle after one more sip.

"What did you want?"

"Ideally," Piper began, "You'd pick me up, and we'd drive away to start our new life together."

Alex chuckled. "Yeah, no chance of that happening."

"I don't know," Piper breathed. "I guess I wanted some amount of fanfare and a big 'welcome home' celebration."

"You're not coming back from war, Pipes." Alex stated. "You're an ex-con who was released back into society. Not a lot to celebrate other than the fact that you're no longer locked up."

Silence permeated the air for a minute before Alex spoke. "Look, we only have five minutes a day until I can get more money for calls. Let's not fill it with silence."

A small smile crossed Piper's lips. "I miss you."

"I miss you too," she whispered. After a brief pause, Alex continued. "There's a rumor that Litchfield is overcrowded again. I'm meeting with my lawyer tomorrow to see if there's any chance in hell that I could be released early. She's asking for less time for good behavior."

The blonde could feel her pulse beating in her neck. "Is there a chance you'd get transferred?"

"I guess there's always a chance," Alex replied calmly. "But I don't think they'd transfer me if my release is pending."

That news seemed to relieve Piper. "When will you know?"

"A week to ten days," the dark haired woman said. "I'd have to wear one of those ankle monitors if they released me, but it's a small price to pay for getting out in six months."

"Do you really think that's a possibility?" Piper stood and began to pace.

"I'll know more the next time we speak." Alex let out a tight sigh. "We better end this call."

Piper stopped pacing. "I'm coming to visit in a week."

"I know," Alex responded. Piper could almost hear her smile. "Good luck with your family."

"Thank you, bye, Alex."

The line clicked and Piper felt a pang in her chest at losing the connection. It had only been one day since she'd seen Alex; she didn't know how she'd survive nine more months. Piper wished with every ounce of her being that Alex's release was pushed up so that they could figure out the next step in their relationship sooner rather than later. Trouble was, she had no idea what the future held, and that scared her to death.

END CHAPTER THREE

* * *

Author's Note: I hope this is an enjoyable story to read. Please let me know even with a quick review. I'll post one more chapter tomorrow, then I'll be off for the weekend. Thanks for reading.


	4. Chapter 4

_There is mention of sexual situations in this chapter, so to be on the safe side, I'm rating this M for Mature. If you're too young to read this, please turn around and walk away._

* * *

After their rendezvous in the greenhouse, Piper and Alex's relationship ebbed and flowed. There were days when Alex was more reserved, as she'd warned the blonde from the start. She admitted that she still had trouble trusting Piper's feelings, and Piper knew this would be a slow-moving process.

Piper, for her part, made a strong showing—she gave Alex her space when the situation required it. She didn't press the brunette to talk about her feelings, nor did she sulk when Alex pushed her away. Piper was becoming more independent, a trait much like bravery, she couldn't remember _ever_ having in her life. She knew as clichéd as it was, that in order to be a good partner, she had to be comfortable in her own skin and not be afraid to be alone. It was a work in progress; one that she'd have to spend years perfecting, but it was worth it if it meant a relationship with Alex was possible.

Over the next several months, they became more intimate and had sex. _A lot_ of sex. In the chapel, the greenhouse, the shower, and once in Piper's bed in the middle of the day. (Piper was thankful that having sex in spots where she knew they were likely to get caught only added to her ability to orgasm quickly.) The sex was always satisfying—that was never an issue in their relationship.

One lazy morning a month before Piper's release, it almost felt like they were in a different place—the majority of the inmates were in the dining hall, and they were able to be alone in Alex's bunk. They'd made small talk for a few minutes before Piper turned to the brunette with a serious question. "What's going to happen when we get out?"

Alex adjusted in the uncomfortable bed. "You mean as in 'us' or what are we going to do to earn money?"

"Both." Piper shrugged.

"Well, you're getting out first, kid." Alex feigned a smile. "What are _you_ going to do?"

She shook her head as best she could in a horizontal position. "I don't know. Staying with my parents is a given, although I dread the very thought of it. I guess I'll apply for jobs that don't mind if the word FELON appears on my resume."

"You don't put it on your resume, jackass!" Alex chuckled.

The blonde glared at her, as if to suggest she was obviously kidding.

"So you'll stay in Connecticut?" Alex toyed with a long strand of blonde hair.

"For the time being." Piper let out a long breath. "I want to go back to the city as soon as possible, but I'm going to need money."

After a beat, Alex whispered, "I have money, you know."

She creased her brow, but allowed Alex to continue.

"People who run international drug cartels are not fucking stupid," Alex stated matter-of-factly. "We always knew there was a chance of getting caught. Fahri set up bank accounts in the Virgin Islands. I should have a fake ID and passport waiting for me in a safety deposit box. That is, if he didn't yank it after I told the truth about Kubra in Chicago."

Piper swatted the brunette on the arm. "Stop bullshitting."

"I'm not." Alex smiled and continued in a low voice. "I'm fucking serious."

"Then why didn't you access 'this money' when you were living in Queens?" the blonde questioned, still doubtful.

"I was being watched like a hawk! There was no way I'd jeopardize my freedom to get the money no matter how desperate I was." She brushed a piece of hair behind Piper's ear. "Besides, I actually have to _go to_ the Virgin Islands to get it."

Piper didn't know whether to believe her or not. "How much are we talking about?"

She shrugged. "Ten to twenty thousand. Enough for a fresh start."

The blonde searched Alex's eyes. "Why didn't you tell me this sooner?"

The dark haired woman cast her eyes down, then looked directly into Piper's eyes. "I didn't know if I could trust you."

That stung, but Piper preferred Alex's honesty over some placating line of bullshit. "I get that you didn't trust my feelings, but you can always trust me with things like this, Alex."

Piper could almost see her mind working, and she wondered for a moment if Alex was going to dwell on the Chicago trial and the issue of trust.

The brunette paused before replying, "I guess it never felt real until now." Off of Piper's confused look, she continued. "I mean, I honestly didn't think we'd end up together. Not that we ultimately will, but, I don't know, it seems…_possible_ now."

The blonde's smile crept up her cheeks. "I like the thought of that."

Alex ran a finger down her girlfriend's cheek, settling it on her lips.

Piper kissed the pad of her finger, then pulled her hand down to entwine their fingers. "I'm not saying we need an iron-clad plan, but we need to discuss what's going to happen when we're both out."

"We could run away to the Virgin Islands and you could be my love slave," Alex teased.

That earned her a shove. "I'm being serious, Alex. Are you willing to get a real job and live a 'normal' life?"

"Normal is boring, Piper." The dark haired woman shifted in the bed and pulled her hand away. "I don't want normal or ordinary; you _know_ that."

No matter how great the sex was or how deeply they loved each other, this was always the problem, and Piper worried it would ultimately be the end of them. As much as it sucked being in prison, at least they were together.

"I'm willing to compromise." Piper placed her hand on Alex's hip; she needed that physical connection. "How do we make this work?"

"I don't know, babe," Alex sighed. "It's life's big mystery."

"Do you love me?" Piper chastised herself for verbalizing her thoughts, but the million dollar question was suddenly out there.

Alex leaned her forehead against Piper's and placed a hand on her cheek. "Very much," came out as a murmur.

"You two are like my schizophrenic aunt," announced Nicky as she entered the cubicle. "One minute you love each other, the next, you hate each other."

Alex was the first to pull away. "Good thing it's none of your business, then."

"Fuck off, Vause." Nicky sat on the opposite bed.

"I was about to ask you to do the same thing." Alex smiled. "So please, fuck off, Nichols."

That earned a hardy laugh from Nicky and a snicker from Piper.

"Oh, by the way," Nicky began. "Pornstache is on rounds, so if I were you, I'd stop with the cuddling and retreat to your own quarters."

The brunette innocently kissed Piper on the lips before standing. "To be continued, I guess," she announced with a stretch.

* * *

After her fourth day of being a free woman, Piper decided to rummage through the stacked boxes in the basement. Her mother had told her that most of it was from her grandmother's estate, and Piper wasn't sure if she was emotionally prepared to look at the contents of her grandmother's life. With the rain hammering on the roof and the crack of thunder outside, she decided to take a stab at it even if it meant only getting through one box. She brought a bottle of Malbec downstairs, turned on her father's iPod that she'd found on the sofa the night before, and opened the first box.

It wasn't until she reached the eighth box when she discovered something unexpected: a sealed envelope with her name on it, stuffed in her grandmother's prayer book. (Piper remembered spending the night at her grandmother's house as a child, and she read a prayer aloud at bedtime from that little book.) She poured another glass of wine as Ella Fitzgerald sang about being bewitched, bothered and bewildered in her earbuds. Upon opening the card inside the envelope, which was dated almost two years ago, a slip of paper fell out. Piper read the generic birthday card first before looking at the small, rectangular paper.

Upon first glance, it resembled European currency, but Piper quickly realized that it was a 1989 savings bond in her own name. From what little she knew of savings bonds, she surmised that the bond had already matured and was worth a great deal more than the $1,000 printed on the front.

She marched upstairs with the bond in hand, put on her running shoes and headed straight to the bank, where she was shocked to learn that the bond had earned $510 in interest over the years. She gladly accepted the money and transferred it into her checking account. Now with roughly $3,000 in hand, she could make some decisions about the future, including a plan to leave her parent's house within the next few months.

* * *

It was another two weeks before Piper and Alex sunk their teeth into the "what do we do when we're released" discussion, and if they'd delayed the conversation another week, Piper would be a free woman, and they'd be left with a whole bunch of _what ifs_.

Just before lights out, they met in the chapel. People were still disbursing after a prayer service, so they waited patiently for the space to clear.

Piper sat on the steps and pretended to act casual about what had become an almost toxic topic. "Have you given any more thought to what you're going to do when you're out?"

Alex flung her jacked over a chair. "Not exactly."

Piper furrowed her brow. "If you're not going to take this seriously…"

"I _do_ take it seriously, Piper," she interrupted. "I just can't think of a fucking thing that I'm qualified to do that wouldn't suck."

"I don't know what to suggest at this point." The blonde raised her voice. "You _have _to earn money, Alex, and I can't help you with that process if you aren't willing to take _any_ job just to get a fucking paycheck! It doesn't have to be a career—we're talking six months to a year so you can figure out what you want to do with your life." She paused when her girlfriend turned her back to her. "I get that you have an offshore account, but even if it's $20,000, that's not enough to live on, and besides, you have to buy a fucking plane ticket to get the money _if it's even still there_."

"We're at a stalemate!" Alex spun around and put her hands on her hips. "I refuse to work for a crappy little bookstore on Long Island or a boring 9 to 5 job behind a desk all fucking day!"

"Then what are you going to do?" The blonde mirrored Alex's position.

Alex shook her head. "I don't know."

Piper narrowed her eyes. "Are you considering drugs again?"

"No," Alex responded swiftly. "That life is over. Done."

Relief filled her entire body like helium in a balloon. She took a deep breath before replying, "Good. Never that, Alex."

"I want the rich life, Pipes. I loved the travel and the expensive hotels and the fine dining. _That's_ what I want." Her voice softened. "And I want it all with you, without the distraction of my work. Well, my _former_ work."

She tilted her head and smiled with nostalgia. "That would be nice, but I don't see it happening anytime soon."

"I know," the brunette replied in a whisper.

Silence descended upon them. Alex reached out her hand, stroking her girlfriend's arm until their fingertips tangled. "Not that it's a long-term solution, but I guess I could bartend for a while. Rachel could probably hook me up."

Piper tried to contain her enthusiasm that Alex was at least considering _something_. "That wouldn't be bad…for a while."

"We could live together in a shitty ass studio in Queens, but, you know…" she trailed.

Piper raised her eyebrows expectantly.

"…it's a start," Alex finished with a shrug and the beginnings of a smile.

The blonde closed the space between them, placing one hand on her cheek and reaching up just slightly to kiss her. Their kiss deepened until it was filled with desperation. Like many times before, clothes were shed and they made love behind the altar. It was Piper who made Alex come first, which was a rarity in their relationship, but it excited the blonde to no end. It didn't take Alex long to get Piper off with her tongue in just the right spot.

END CHAPTER FOUR


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's Note: I wasn't going to post today, but I ended up having a moment to proofread what I'd written, so I decided to go for it. If any of you are beta readers out there and have an excellent knowledge of characterization of Piper and Alex, please PM me. I'm in dire need of someone to assist with a part of the story that I can't seem to get right. _

* * *

_The Verdict_

When it was time to speak on the phone for the second time, Piper's stomach was in knots as if she were a child waiting in line to ride a roller coaster. She was anxious to know what Alex had learned about a possible early release, and she was eager to share her news of $3,000 in her bank account.

The phone buzzed and Piper jumped to answer on the first ring. She waited for the automatic recorded message, pressed "1" to accept the call and dove right in. "How was your meeting?"

"Hi to you, too."

She couldn't read anything into Alex's tone with such a short greeting. "Did you meet with your lawyer?"

"I did."

"And?"

"If all goes well, I only have six months left in this shit hole."

Piper could hear the smile in her girlfriend's voice. She squealed and imagined Alex pulling the phone away from her ear.

"Easy, kid. Nothing is final."

"I'm just…That is such _great_ news, Alex!" Piper could feel her pulse, beating in her neck. "Tell me everything."

Alex shared her meeting notes with Piper, which took a bit longer than their five minute phone call allowed, but Piper had already wired money to Alex's account, so she didn't mind the monetary consideration of the call.

For her part, Piper explained the savings bond and the money in her checking account. The brunette expressed her delight, but warned Piper that $3,000 was a nice start, but not enough to get the ball rolling on the life she wanted. They ended the call with eagerness about seeing each other in three days.

Piper convinced her father to allow her to borrow the new Buick. He wasn't too thrilled about it at first, but his golfing buddy owed him a ride, which Bill figured he could take him up on for this occasion. She didn't inform her dad why she needed the car; in fact, she didn't tell her parents anything about Alex. They knew the two women were in prison together, but that was about it. They'd never met Alex, and Piper was fairly certain she'd keep it that way for the foreseeable future.

* * *

_Departure_

The morning of Piper's release from Litchfield, Alex was in a funk. Nicky had chastised her for being a pussy, but in true Alex fashion, she simply shot her friend the finger and proceeded to mope around.

Piper hadn't consciously tried to avoid Alex that morning, but she didn't want her mixed emotions to surface. On the one hand, she was thrilled to be leaving Litchfield, and that feeling was predominate, but on the other, leaving Alex _again_ was going to be challenging. She wondered if somewhere deep in the back of her girlfriend's mind, she'd think about the other times Piper had left. That brought a pang of guilt to the surface.

"Were you going to say goodbye?" the brunette surprised her as she leaned against the cinder blocked entryway to her bunk.

"Hi," Piper walked over to give her a hug and a peck on the cheek. "You scared me."

"Ghost of Christmas past?" She joked, but Piper could sense that it was a joke borne out of uneasiness.

The blonde looked her in the eye, both hands on her girlfriend's face. "I'm going to miss you."

"You get to miss _me_, but not this place." Alex blinked slowly. "I'm glad you're getting out, babe."

She pulled Alex further into her cell and kissed her deeply. She broke the kiss and chastised herself for demanding a promise from her lover. "Tell me when you get out, we're going to be together."

Alex mustered a half smile. "That's the plan."

The two kissed, but Piper felt uneasy about Alex's statement. She was hoping for her lover to cross her heart and promise they'd be together, and anything short of that made her anxious.

Officer Bennett broke them up. "Enough, inmates!" he yelled. "Let's go, Chapman, say goodbye to your girlfriend. Your time is up."

Piper's chin quivered and she tried desperately to hold in her tears as Alex gently let her go. "I love you so much, Alex."

Piper witnessed a tear drip under the taller woman's black frames, down to her chin, but Alex swiftly brushed it away with the back of her hand, probably hoping that her lover never noticed. "Be good out there, Pipes."

And with that, Piper Chapman left Litchfield without looking back.

* * *

_The Visit_

She didn't think much about what feelings would surface as she drove to Litchfield that day, but as she rounded the corner and was confronted with the high, barbed wire fences and dull, chipped-brick buildings, bile rose in Piper's throat, and she had to stop the car to get her breathing under control. She gripped the steering wheel with both hands, closed her eyes and told herself to _just breathe_.

Of course she'd hated everything about prison, but she hadn't expected a physical reaction upon her return to Litchfield. Her mind had been focused on seeing Alex, which brought her bliss, but she also dreaded having to say goodbye again. Once her breathing was back to normal and she convinced herself that she was _only visiting_, Piper proceeded through the prison gates with conviction.

She remembered walking into the main office years ago with Larry by her side. Never did she think things would turn out as they did. The smell of Pine Sol, burnt meat and mildew brought back memories of being locked up. She'd never felt _clean_ in prison even immediately following a shower; that dirty feeling crept up on her like a fish on a worm. She kept repeating a line over and over in her mind: _I'm here to see Alex, that's all._

Officer Bell greeted her from behind the desk. "Chapman, welcome back."

"I'm here to see Alex," Piper replied, still timid under the watchful eye of any officer.

"Right." Bell chomped on her gum and looked in the registry. "Vause has a visitor," she yelled to an officer Piper didn't recognize. "Looks like life on the outside is treating you well."

Piper leaned in and threw her timidity out the window. "I don't know how you work here every day."

"Decent paycheck, good benefits, vacation time, and all the stories." Bell smiled wickedly. "Beats the hell out of working at Wegman's."

Piper was shocked at her own willingness to get into a verbal spar with Officer Bell and had a response on the ready, but as she was about to counter attack, she saw dark hair breeze by the glass partition. Seconds later, her lover walked through the door.

"Alex!" Piper hugged her so tightly she thought she might pull a muscle.

"Hey." Alex squeezed almost as tightly. "Long time no see."

"You look good," She told the brunette, eyeing her up and down.

"I can't imagine I'd look any different than a week ago." Alex chuckled, and then she regarded Piper and her expression shifted. "However, _you_ look good. I mean _really_ good."

The blonde wore the same corduroy pants she'd been wearing, but she'd bought a new green sweater and some dark brown riding boots. Looking for something to keep her occupied that morning before she left, she'd curled her hair, and although the curls mostly fell, her hair still looked freshly coifed.

"I can't even remember the last time I saw you in street clothes." Alex pulled her to an open table by the hand and didn't let go even when they were seated.

Piper wasn't concerned about how she looked, though if pressed, she'd admit to having put _some_ thought into what she wore that day.

"I didn't realize how good it would feel to wear real clothes." The blonde rubbed Alex's knuckles with the pad of her fingers. "How are you?"

"Surviving," she admitted. "Counting the days until I'm free."

"Me, too," Piper replied. "Did the money I sent come through?"

"It did. Thank you." She turned over Piper's hand and traced a pattern on her palm. "Has your probation officer given you any shit?"

The blonde shook her head. "No, although he's probably a little more active than Davey Crockett."

That earned her a huff and a smile. Alex's eyes roamed up and down her girlfriend's body, stopping at her chest, and then her lips. "I so want to fuck you right now," Alex said in a sultry voice with one raised eyebrow.

"Alex!" She felt her cheeks turning red. "The guards will hear you."

The dark haired woman shrugged. "So? They can't tell me not to talk about sex."

A sly smile crept across Piper's face. "I'd prefer making love, but fucking would also work."

Alex moaned and retracted her hands as if touching her lover any longer would force her to jump over the table to have her right then and there. "I need to get out of this God forsaken place!"

The women talked for as long as they could before visiting hours were over. They were only told, "no touching" twice, but that didn't stop their hands from searching for the other seconds after the warning. When it was time for Piper to depart, Alex kissed her hard on the mouth.

"I'm going to think about you when I touch myself tonight," she whispered in Piper's ear.

Piper's knees got weak at the very thought. She didn't know if she could even make it home without masturbating to the thought of Alex going down on her. How she'd make it six months, she hadn't a clue.


	6. Chapter 6

After three months of being in the Chapman home with no job, no friends and no Alex, Piper decided it was time for her to put aside her pride and call Polly.

Her mother's disparaging remarks about prisoners "needing to become contributing members of society" really got under the younger Chapman's skin. She'd given her mother articles, books and even a podcast to learn more about life after prison, but Carol Chapman paid no mind to any of it. She tossed them aside like a pest and ordered her husband to make her next gin and tonic a bit stronger.

Piper visited Cal and Neri as frequently as possible, but she was reliant upon her brother for a ride into the country. She'd spent one night in the camper, but it reminded her too much of the cramped prison quarters to do it again. (Plus, it smelled like a pot distillery.)

The only things that Piper spent her money on were daily coffee, thrift store clothing, and bus rides to Litchfield since her father complained about the mileage on his new vehicle the one time she'd borrowed his car. She offered to contribute to the cost of groceries, but Carol Chapman acted like a martyr for buying _anything her daughter needed_. However, when it came time for Piper to pay a monthly mobile phone service bill, her mom refused, stating that a cell phone was a luxury, not a necessity. The younger Chapman wanted to point out that the fur coat that her mother wore was also a luxury—a sick one at that—but she kept her mouth shut and vowed to be out of that house within a month, even if it meant groveling to Larry to allow her to live in their old apartment.

Her father was more sympathetic, but he didn't spend much time at home. Piper didn't know where he stayed a few nights a week, nor did she care to know. Bill Chapman paid for her mobile phone bill without hesitation off of her promise that she'd be back on her feet financially in six months.

Here it was at month three, and she knew she needed to make good on that promise.

Piper paced on the sidewalk outside of The Daily Buzz with a hot cup of coffee in one hand, and her cell phone in the other. She'd rehearsed what she wanted to say in her mind, but it had been a long time since she'd spoken with her former best friend. Polly had written several letters to her in prison and even tried to visit twice, but Piper refused to see her after she and Larry showed up that one time, asking for her blessing on their new relationship.

After a deep breath, she dialed the once familiar digits and waited for an answer.

"Hello?" the woman answered in a somewhat agitated voice.

"Polly?"

There was a long pause on the other end. "Piper?"

"Yes, it's me." She began pacing again. "Is this a bad time?"

"No." Polly sounded happy but confused. "I mean, I have my hands full with groceries and a diaper bag and, and…Piper, I can't believe…"

"I can call back…" Piper offered.

"No!" Polly interjected. "Let me just put these down and we can talk. Where are you calling from? Did I miss the Litchfield greeting?"

The blonde felt guilty for a moment. "I'm out, Polly…out of prison."

"What?" Her friend asked in a high-pitched voice.

"I got out three months ago. Almost four, actually." She lowered her head. "I'm sorry for not telling you sooner. It's just, with you and…" She couldn't bring herself to say his name.

"It's ok. I'm just…wow. How are you? Where are you living? What are you doing?" Polly questioned.

"I'm ok," Piper admitted with a weak smile. "I've been staying with my parents."

"That's never been good," Polly retorted.

"Still isn't." The blonde felt a little more comfortable and began her walk home. "I didn't really have a choice."

"You could've called me. You could've _stayed_ with me."

"With _you_?" She furrowed her brow. "What about Larry?"

"Well," the friend began. "With _us_, I should've said."

Silence filled the air, and Polly was the first to recover. "Piper, I'm sorry. You already know I'm an asshole, and now I feel like an even bigger asshole because Larry and I are still together."

"I've had a long time to process all of it." Piper stopped at a park bench and sat down, feeling like walking interfered with her concentration. "I'm still not over you sleeping with my fiancé, but I'm…coming to terms with it."

There was another moment of quiet. She closed her eyes as if willing away the mental image of her best friend and Larry together. "I miss talking to you, Polly." Piper felt a string of emotions, tugging in her throat. "I miss having you in my life."

"I miss you, too, Piper!" Her friend replied. "Not a day goes by that I don't feel guilty about what happened. I tried to visit you. I wrote letters, telling you how guilty I feel, but also how happy I am. And I know that's not easy to hear, so if it's too soon…"

"No," it was the blonde's turn to interrupt. "I mean, yes, it might be too soon to hear about how happy you are as a couple, but I want to see you and hear about Finn. He must be so big by now."

"That would make me very happy." She could sense the other woman's smile.

"I can take the train into the city this weekend." She took the last sip of coffee.

"Are you sure? I can come to you," Polly offered.

"No, I want to get out of this town. Maybe even see a few apartments while I'm there." Piper began walking again.

"I'll get us a hotel room," her friend said. "We'll stay in Midtown, order room service and talk. I'll ask my realtor friend about flats in the city. You have a budget in mind?"

Piper smiled at the courtesy that her friend was extending by not even having a discussion about spending the night at her and Larry's place—that is, if they were living together.

"Yeah, cheap. I mean _really_ cheap…but safe." Piper tossed her empty coffee cup into a trash can. "I only have like $3,000 and no job."

"Shit, Piper. You're going to have to look at the Bronx or Queens or fucking Jersey."

"I realize that," Piper retorted. "But anything is better than living with my mother."

"Ok. I can help."

They made plans about trains and a meeting time and place. They saved each other's numbers in their mobile phones, and Piper felt apprehensive, but if there was a time when she really needed her old friend, it was now.

* * *

Upon seeing Polly for the first time in ages, Piper allowed her heart to lead the way. She wanted to bury the pain and the guilt, and just be friends with the woman who'd meant so much to her for so long. She greeted the other woman with a tight hug, and they exchanged pleasantries as they began walking out of Grand Central Station into the cold evening air.

"Tell me everything," Polly said, flopping onto one of the beds after they checked into their 15th floor room.

Piper pulled out a couple of sweaters and a pair of socks, placing them into the dresser drawers. She briefly flashed upon the many hotel stays that she'd shared with Alex and how her girlfriend used to tease her about unpacking her entire bag even if they were only in a hotel room for one night.

"Prison sucks," the blonde began. "I plan to never, ever go back."

"Well, that's a relief." Polly chortled.

She shared stories of lockdowns, pat downs and solitary confinement. They ordered cheeseburgers and beer from room service as Piper continued to surprise Polly with tales from Litchfield. It wasn't until about an hour into the conversation when Alex's name came up.

"What happened with Alex?" the brunette asked.

Piper had thought about how she'd mention her involvement with Alex to Polly, but when the time came, she decided to speak freely and unrehearsed. "I guess I never thanked you for the call to the parole office," she said. "They brought her in two days afterwards."

"Holy shit. Was she pissed?" She took a swig of Heineken.

"That's an understatement." Piper dipped a French fry into the pool of ketchup on her plate. "It took her months to forgive me."

"So what's going on with you two?"

Piper considered her response for a moment and let out a long breath. "We're together." She wiped her mouth with a cloth napkin and looked her friend in the eye. "Well, as 'together' as two people who can't really be a couple and communicate like normal people can be."

Polly rolled her eyes. "I figured as much."

"You don't get to judge me for that," Piper stated firmly. "We can't help who we fall in love with, Polly. You of all people should get that."

"I _do_ get that." She tilted her head. "More than most people, I'm sure."

"I understand how you'd think I'm fucked up for getting back together with her," Piper trailed off, placing the food tray off to her side. "I loved her, you know, when we were traveling around the world together, but I thought I'd grow out of those feelings. Like once that part of my life was over, and I met Larry, that the feelings I had for Alex would just…dissolve."

"But it didn't work out that way." Polly shrugged.

She shook her head. "Sometimes I wonder if we wouldn't have been locked up together, and Alex had never reentered my life, would we have met somewhere eventually."

"Like it was inevitable?"

"Exactly!" Piper's eyes widened at the familiar word that she'd shared with Alex about their relationship nearly two years ago. "I've never believed in fate, Pol, and this might sound cheesy, but I can't imagine my life without Alex, no matter how fucked up that may seem."

Her friend let out a long sigh, and then sat up with the beer bottle in hand and offered a toast. "To living our fucked up lives where the only opinion that really matters is our own."

Piper clinked her bottle against the other and added solemnly, "And to forgiveness."

She swore she could see tears welling up in her friend's eyes, but Polly took a long swig of beer, and then stood to hug her.

They finished eating dinner and decided to go out for a bit. They walked around Midtown, and Piper felt like a little girl, absorbing the lights and the people and the _freedom_. She'd informed Polly that before she left the city, she wanted to go to Ellis Island to see the Statue of Liberty. She'd never seen it up close despite having lived in New York, and it just felt right.

They found a small, Irish pub tucked away on a side street a couple of blocks from the hotel and ducked inside as it began to snow. Piper thought it was the perfect little hideaway in the bustling city. When their pints of Guinness arrived, they sat at a table near the fireplace.

"When does she get out?" Polly asked after a long pull of the dark liquid.

"Eighty-two days." The blonde smiled. "But who's counting?"

That earned her a grin. "What's she going to do when she's released?"

"I'm not sure." She twirled the paper coaster on the table. "Bartend for a while, probably."

"You think it'll last?"

"I don't know. Alex loves adventure." Piper regarded her friend. "I worry."

"About what?" Polly took a swig of beer.

She shrugged and looked into her half empty pint glass. "That she'll get bored and leave."

"I guess there's no way of knowing." Polly covered her friend's hand with her own. "Look, it's no secret that I never liked Alex, but if you love her, and she's going to be in your life, I want to make an effort…And I ask the same of you, though I know my relationship with Larry is a bit more complicated."

"More complicated?" Piper snorted. "I don't think _any_ relationship is more complicated or fucked up than mine and Alex's."

"Try having an ex-husband with a drinking problem, who continues to show up on my doorstep; a son who _still_ doesn't sleep through the night; and a boyfriend who used to be engaged to your best friend. I think I win in the _fucked up_ category."

Piper chuckled. "That _is_ pretty fucked up."

They ordered another round of beer and talked and talked and talked about their respective relationships. Piper could feel her entire body tighten at the mention of Larry, and she hoped that feeling would subside. She promised to have dinner at a restaurant, not at their home, with the two of them in the near future, and she planned to make good on that promise.

They walked back to the hotel and Piper asked about the possibility of reviving their soap business. It was her only hope as a source of income at this point in her life.

"I could put in about 20 hours a week," Polly stated. "Larry's mom watches Finn on Tuesdays and Thursdays."

"You think it's worth contacting Barney's again?" Piper asked with eager anticipation.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt." They rounded the corner and stepped into the warmth of the hotel lobby. "My cousin is still dating Bart Thiel, and he's still the guy in charge of new products, so…"

"So you'll talk to him?"

"I probably need to, you know, make some soap to sell first." She pressed the elevator button.

"I can help with that."

* * *

On her fourth visit to see Alex at Litchfield, Piper reflected on how fast time flew by—it felt like just yesterday when she'd gotten released from behind those very bars. She still felt clammy upon entering the prison and almost retched at the familiar smell, but those feelings subsided as soon as she laid eyes on her lover.

After a tight embrace, Alex was the first to speak. "So you and Polly are friends again?"

"I missed her." She nodded. "She wants to start from square one with you."

"I'm not sure how likely that is," the brunette responded tersely.

"Please try, Alex. We're rebuilding the business and she's going to be in my life, like it or not." Piper folded her arms.

Alex sighed. "If she is an essential clog in the wheel of your business, fine, I'll play nice, but don't expect dinner parties and shit like that."

The blonde creased her brow. "What did she ever do to you?"

"She hurt _you_," Alex replied swiftly with raised eyebrows. "I mean, who does that? Who sleeps with their best friend's fiancé?"

"If I can get over it, so can you," Piper stated.

"You trust people a hell of a lot faster than I do, Pipes," Alex sighed, and then reached for her lover's hand. "I'm not making any promises…just give me some time."

They spoke about potential apartments in Queens, about Alex's continued good behavior and missing each other so badly it hurt. They counted down the weeks until they'd both be free, when they could walk hand in hand down the street with no care in the world.

Alex informed her girlfriend that Rachel had visited Litchfield twice and that a job was likely waiting for her upon her release. She couldn't guarantee decent hours, but at least she'd bring home a paycheck.

"Is Larry still in the picture?" the dark haired woman asked.

She brushed a piece of hair behind her ear. "He's in Polly's picture, yes."

"Have you seen him?" Alex pushed her glasses higher on her nose.

She looked at her hands. "We had lunch the other day with Polly at Queen City Diner."

Alex crossed her arms. "Did you want to rip his dick off?"

"At first I did," she admitted with a chuckle. "But after the first few minutes, it felt _right_ somehow. Like this was how it was meant to be."

Upon noticing a mere flinch from Alex, the blonde thought it best not to delve into the details of her encounter with Larry—not that there was much to tell. It was quite uneventful in Piper's eyes, but she understood that it would take much longer, if ever, for her lover to be able to accept Larry's presence in her life, so she smiled and focused on the positive. "I sat there, looking at him—at _them_—thinking about happiness. In that moment, Alex, I thought of you, and all the jealousy, guilt and indecision vanished. I was actually happy. I _am_ actually happy."

"Sounds like quite the moment, babe." Alex touched the back of her hand. "I'm proud of you."

When visiting hours were over, the women hugged, kissed and said their goodbyes. The next time they'd see each other, Alex would be a free woman. Piper could hardly contain herself.

* * *

Author's Note: This was a necessary filler chapter. I know that it wasn't exactly heavy on the Alex/Piper love, but without this chapter, things couldn't progress the way I wanted. Please leave feedback if you're so inclined. Thank you!


	7. Chapter 7

_This chapter is rated M for sexual situations. If you are underage or not permitted to read such material, please turn around and walk away._

* * *

Piper and Polly spent long hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays, making soaps and lotions. They'd secured a second promise from Barney's, but Bart Thiel warned them this was their last chance. Their soaps were even more luxurious than the first batch they'd presented, and Mr. Thiel had high hopes for big sales, especially with the holidays approaching. Poppy would only be in a few New York stores to start, but depending on demand, they could fill the New England stores within six months.

Polly's father, a shrewd businessman, thought the women had a solid product worth investing in, so he gifted the first $10,000 to get the ball rolling. Without that seed money, Piper knew that it would have taken three times as long to get their business off the ground for a second time.

Polly's mother, a New York socialite, was eager to try the unusual scents such as ripe tomato vine and grapefruit &amp; basil. As part of their marketing strategy, Piper and Polly made a batch of both scents to give to Polly's mother, who proudly distributed them to members of her Junior League chapter. By the end of the month, they had 50 individual orders.

Piper knew from the start that her friend could only promise 20 hours per week, which left her to handle the marketing, wrapping and packaging of the soaps and lotions. Cellophane and a pretty bow wasn't going to cut it for a Barney's display. She spent no fewer than 80 hours a week on the business, and Polly insisted that she take a bigger cut of the income once the money started rolling in.

The blonde had what Polly considered a genius idea to hold a contest for the design of their logo and promotional material, including the labels for the soaps and lotions. After phone calls to six local colleges, a business professor at Pace University allowed the women to pitch their product to a senior marketing class. The women would choose a winner, who would receive recognition on the label of every product as well as a $500 cash prize.

By the first of December, Poppy had 75 individual orders and another 200 to fill for Barneys. Polly couldn't keep up with the demand, so she talked Piper into hiring someone to help with the actual making of the soaps and lotions. Again, they turned to the university to hire interns who they'd pay a small stipend to do the work.

Polly's kitchen had turned into a factory, which was not suitable for a young child. For the sake of the business, Larry was actually the one who suggested that he and Polly move into his and Piper's old apartment and use their current flat as a factory, warehouse and office. Piper had no problem accepting Larry's offer. As time marched on, she became more comfortable seeing Larry and even exchanging good-natured remarks with him.

The benefit about concentrating on the business was that it kept Piper's thoughts about Alex under control. She thought about her girlfriend often, but it was easier now to snap back to the business, knowing (hoping) she was building a future for the two of them.

Traveling into the city twice a week by train was a nuisance, but she sucked it up and reminded herself that in three weeks, she'd have her own flat in the city. She didn't need to remind herself that Alex would be out in that amount of time as well.

* * *

On the tenth of December, Cal, Neri and Polly helped Piper move into her new studio apartment in Queens. The space resembled a much smaller version of Alex's old loft—it was bright and airy, but far smaller. Piper had bought a dresser, mirrors, rugs and a bed from local flea markets and garage sales. Cal and Neri purchased wine and rocks glasses as housewarming gifts. Polly gave her their old leather sofa, which had a few stains, but was in great shape for the most part. She'd taken a box of plates, bowls, platters and silverware from one of her grandmother's boxes in the basement, and her mother of all people, gave her a set of pots and pans. (It was her mother's old pots and pans; Carol had bought a new set for herself.) Mrs. Chapman knew that her daughter was moving in with another woman, but she didn't ask questions and seemingly didn't want answers. Piper wondered if her mother was just thankful to have her house back to herself.

Once the apartment was mostly furnished, she felt good about eventually sharing the space with Alex. She'd wanted desperately to spend the night in their new studio, but the bigger part of her heart told her to wait—wait until she could spend the first night with her lover. So she did. She spent several nights at the Poppy "office," which still had a futon in one of the bedrooms. After all, in less than a week, she'd have someone to rest her head next to, hopefully, for a very long time.

* * *

Snow and ice blanketed the roadways, but not even a blizzard would keep Piper Chapman from retrieving her lover from Litchfield. Instead of borrowing her father's car or taking the bus, the blonde asked Polly if she could use their Volkswagen for the day. She knew that her friend's response would be, "of course!" but she didn't want to risk Larry's adverse reaction when he learned where she was headed in their vehicle.

During the slower than typical drive, Piper reflected upon her last six months of freedom. Although she never got around to securing a part-time job, she'd organized her parent's basement, ensured that her bank account was liquid, established a cell phone plan, reconnected with her old friend, and resurrected the soap business. She also found a decent place to live and furnished it for half the cost of most New York flats. She was proud of all of it, and she knew Alex would be as well. Trouble was, she only had $400 left to her name. Piper knew that if she really needed it, she could ask her father for money, but that was the last thing she wanted. She figured they'd turn a handsome profit in January if the Barney's holiday sales went well.

She rounded the final curve before heading into the gates of Litchfield, wondering if Alex would like the vintage pieces she'd chosen for their apartment. (She'd presented it to Alex as 'vintage,' but to some, it might just be outdated furniture.) It was difficult for Piper to believe that this was really happening—that she was picking up _Alex Vause _to presumably begin a life together without any false pretense or dependence upon drug money.

Piper would be lying to herself if she said she wasn't worried about the future. Alex had made it very clear in all the years she'd known her that she wouldn't be satisfied with a cookie-cutter life. She was built for adventure and loved a good risk. While Piper admitted that was one of the attributes that attracted her to the dark haired woman in the first place, she herself had grown out of that phase; perhaps out of the realization that it wasn't sustainable. Piper was eager to begin a life with Alex by her side, but deep down, she knew that Alex would grow tired of _ordinary_.

After parking the car, careful to avoid the spot her father had chosen six months and four days earlier out of fear of bad luck, she nearly sprinted to the prison office. She announced her presence to Officer Fischer and waited for Alex to bust through the side door. And she waited.

And waited.

And waited some more.

After 45 minutes, her nerves got the best of her, and she enquired about Alex's whereabouts.

"I see her final paperwork is in the system," Fischer said while looking at a computer screen. "Must be some last minute stuff."

"Right." Piper unbuttoned her coat, forgetting that she still had on gloves, a beanie and a thick wool coat. She was so eager to get on the road that she hadn't removed a stitch of outerwear when she got into the car in New York City or out of the car at Litchfield.

"Anybody here going to Manhattan? I could use a ride."

There was no mistaking that familiar, husky voice. Piper turned around and nearly knocked her lover over in the process of embracing her.

"_Alex_," she repeated over and over again in between kisses, as if her name was a prayer.

The tall one had already dropped the bag with her belongings inside as she held on to Piper just as tightly. She pulled away slightly, kissing Piper firmly on the lips. "Get me the _fuck_ out of here."

* * *

On the icy drive from Litchfield to Queens, Piper might have been better served by keeping two hands on the wheel, but her right hand was occupied by that of her passenger.

"I can't believe this is real," Piper said more than once during the drive.

"Believe it, babe." She squeezed the blonde's hand.

Piper pulled Alex's hand to her mouth, peppering it with kisses. "I can't wait to get you home."

"Then let's not," Alex said in a low voice. "Pull over."

"What?" Piper creased her forehead.

"Let's not wait. Pull over." The brunette reached for the steering wheel.

"Alex, we're on a highway with a very narrow shoulder." She swatted her girlfriend's hand. "I can't just pull over."

Alex won the battle and turned the steering wheel slightly to the right. "You can, and you will."

More than a little frightened but exceedingly turned on by her lover's insistence and seeing that she would lose this fight, Piper drove another half mile before finding a suitable turnout to stop the car.

"What the hell?" the blonde asked with concern etched on her face.

Alex ambushed her, grabbing the lapels of her coat while kissing her aggressively. She began climbing from the passenger seat onto the driver before Piper broke the kiss.

"This is uncomfortable." She placed a kiss at the base of the dark haired woman's neck. "Back seat."

While Alex shimmied over the armrest, Piper got out of the car like a proper woman and met her lover in the back. "You _climbed_ back here?"

"Piper, if we don't _fuck_ in the next five minutes, I'm going to climb into that driver's seat and leave your ass on the side of the road."

That was all the encouragement the blonde needed before straddling Alex in the back seat. Of _Larry's_ car. Not that she needed anything else to get her riled up, but the thought of fucking her girlfriend in her ex-fiancé's car was a decadent slice of revenge.

"I've wanted you for _so fucking long_," Alex breathed heavily as she lifted the blonde's sweater and began running her hands up and down her torso to her breasts. She plucked one breast with her fingers, then her mouth covered the already taut nipple.

All Piper could do was moan. She tried to form coherent sentences, but only _Alex_ came out. The brunette unbuttoned Piper's jeans and wasted no time shoving her hand down her pants. Her fingers immediately found her center and drug a line from her opening to her clit over and over until Piper came, shouting her lover's name. In that moment, Piper didn't care who might have passed and saw them.

"That was…" the blonde couldn't find words through her panting.

"Good?" Alex offered with a Cheshire cat grin.

"Amazing," Piper said, planting soft kisses across her face. "My turn to do you."

"Wait." Alex ran her other hand down the blonde's head to her cheek. "Not here. Take me home, Piper."

* * *

The deal was that Polly would take the train to Queens to get her and Larry's car after Finn went to sleep around 8 o'clock. While Alex groped her from behind, Piper had the presence of mind to text her friend a photo of where the car was parked, thanking her for its use.

Once inside the third floor loft, Piper stepped aside to let her girlfriend observe the tiny apartment. "Well, here it is."

The dark haired woman walked around the space with a smile. She touched the sofa, the counter and the soft blanket on the back of a chair. "You did well, Pipes."

"Yeah?" She was still unsure of her ability to furnish an apartment on a severely limited budget.

"Yeah." Alex was beaming. She took Piper's hand and kissed her knuckles. "I'm impressed."

"Thanks." She blushed. "I wanted it to feel homey but also kind of like your old loft."

"Then you succeeded." She pulled her lover closer. "I remember you saying something about reciprocating the action in the car. Can that happen now?"

"Yes." Piper bit her lip and leaned closer. "Yes, it can."

Unlike in the car, this time was slow and deliberate as if they had all the time in the world. And that night, they did, and they took full advantage of it with kisses and licking and rubbing. They made love all night like a couple of horny teenagers. Each time wasn't necessarily _better_, it was just _different. _Piper made Alex come standing against the wall with her head between her legs, and then it was Alex's turn. She drug her lover to the sofa and buried her face between the blonde's legs and didn't quit until Piper reached two orgasms. The next time was in their new bed in the 69 position—one they hadn't done often even all of those years ago. They did it in the shower just before dawn, then back in the bed again as the sun rose.

On the one hand, Piper didn't want the night to end, but on the other, she was ready to make nights like this a regular part of their lives.

Although money was scarce, Piper intended to make Alex's homecoming a special experience. She awoke an hour before the brunette and walked three blocks to get fresh coffee and pastries. When she returned, her lover was still fast asleep. Piper removed her jeans and crawled back under the covers, tucking an arm under Alex's pillow.

"Why are you clothed?" the groggy woman asked, eyes still shut.

"My pants are off; I'm just wearing a sweater." She nuzzled closer and hooked a leg over Alex's hip.

"Weren't you naked like five minutes ago?" Alex asked, rubbing her eyes with one hand and Piper's thigh with the other.

"I went out for coffee and pastries." She smiled at the very naked Alex and brushed a hand over her breast. "Good morning."

Alex's smile was slower to form, but when it surfaced, it was from ear to ear. "Morning, babe."

The blonde kissed her on the cheek, and then on the mouth. "You taste good."

"I can't see how that could possibly be true. I'm pretty sure neither of us brushed our teeth last night. Do I even own a toothbrush?"

Despite Alex's logic, Piper deepened the kiss. "It just tastes like _you_."

Alex pulled away abruptly. "Did I hear you say coffee and pastries?"

The blonde nodded. "Lattes, a ginger scone and a nectarine Danish."

Alex stretched and forced herself out of bed. She found a pair of sweat pants on the dresser and put them on along with an oversized t-shirt. Once she was clothed, she reached for Piper's hand. The blonde grabbed it and padded the few short feet into the kitchen area, still wearing only her sweater that was now falling off her right shoulder. Alex took her first sip of coffee with her eyes closed, and Piper figured her reaction was probably the same six months earlier at The Daily Buzz.

"God, I never thought I'd miss real coffee this much." She blew on the liquid to cool it, and then took another long sip.

Piper tore off a piece of the scone and popped it into her partner's mouth.

Alex had a similar reaction when she tasted the thick, flavorful dough. She pulled Piper against her and after swallowing the pastry, kissed her bare shoulder. "Thank you, Pipes. For all of it."

"Alex!" Piper's eyes widened as if she'd just had an epiphany. "We're free women! No more communal showers, disgusting food or fucked up rules."

"Is this what freedom tastes like?" The brunette smiled, then planted a series of kisses behind the blonde's ear. "I fucking love it."

Much like the hours spent when they first got home, they made love all afternoon and into the evening. Piper's limbs were sore and her lips were swollen, but she cherished the feeling of Alex all around her.

The dark haired woman stroked Piper's back as she laid on top of Alex on the sofa. She'd pulled the thick blanket from a chair nearby to cover their naked, trembling bodies after what must have been her 20th orgasm in the past two days.

When Alex's hand stopped moving for a few seconds, Piper could sense that something was on her partner's mind. "What are you thinking?"

The brunette sighed. "I'm meeting Rachel at Vera's tomorrow."

Piper lifted her chin off of Alex's chest to look at her. "For a job interview?"

"I'm not sure people technically interview for a bartender position." Alex grinned and continued soothing her lover's naked back. "But I'm meeting Vera herself and hopefully proving that I can mix vodka and soda and pull a beer tap."

Piper smiled. "That sounds promising."

"From what Rachel told me, the job is mine, so I hope I don't fuck it up." The dark haired woman stretched, kissed Piper on the forehead, and then stood. "I'm getting hungry. Let's go out."

The blonde nodded, following her into the bathroom. They showered together, but after shampooing her hair, Alex got on her knees and bathed Piper's abdomen, legs and center with kisses. She made her lover come with the tip of her tongue on her clit and two fingers in her entrance. Standing with a wide grin on her face, Alex kissed the well-satiated woman on the mouth.

"Watching you come might be my favorite thing in the world," the brunette admitted.

"Coming in your mouth is mine," Piper retorted with a wicked grin.

When they'd used all of the hot water, they quickly jumped out of the shower, dried off and got dressed. Piper had taken the liberty of buying a few essential clothes for Alex—a pair of jeans, a black sweater and a green hoodie—until she had time to get the boxes of clothing and other items she had in storage at her cousin's house in Poughkeepsie.

It took several blocks before they reached the shop-lined streets of their Astoria neighborhood, but they did so hand in hand, and Piper glanced at Alex repeatedly to judge her mood. At one point, she thought the brunette was going to cry. She'd taken a deep breath and wrinkled her nose like she usually did before tears would fall, but this time, none fell. Piper squeezed her hand tightly, and they kept walking in silence. She concluded that Alex was simply absorbing her freedom, and that was a moment she proudly witnessed without interruption.

After about a ten minute walk where no words were exchanged, Alex broke the silence. "I want a _huge_ fucking slice of pizza."

The blonde smiled, happy to oblige.

When it came time to pay, the dark haired woman anxiously reached into her pockets. "Fuck, I don't have any money."

The blonde put her hand on Alex's arm. "I've got it."

They sat down to eat their pizza slices and drink their extra-large soda, and Piper watched the brunette's reaction once again. She remembered how much Alex loved pizza; she'd once said at a café in Rome that nothing beat "a fucking slice" in New York City.

"I need to go to my cousin's house to get those boxes tomorrow before I go to Vera's," Alex began, wiping her mouth with a thin napkin. "I have $500 cash in a box if Jake hasn't found it yet."

The blonde took a sip of Coke that they shared out of a straw. "Do you want me to go with you?"

She shook her head. "No, I'll only be there for a little while."

Piper recalled that Alex did not have a strong relationship with her aunt, but she liked her younger cousin, Jake. He was the only family member who stepped up when her mother died, and for Alex, that meant the world.

They finished their meal and began the journey back home. Alex grabbed her lover's hand about halfway back and looked at their joined hands with what could only be described as affection.

When they reached the final block, Alex spoke quietly. "I never thought we'd be here. It really is against all fucking odds."

Piper looked up, into her eyes. "Are you glad we are?"

She stopped, tugging Piper's hand like a rubber band. When they were standing face to face, Alex laid her hands on her lover's cheeks and bent down to kiss her softly. "_Yes_," came out as a whisper.


	8. Chapter 8

_Author's Note: I have successfully been able to identify chapter breaks for the remainder of this story, and there will be a total of 12 chapters. Just thought I'd let you know that we're more than halfway done._

* * *

After the holidays, which were uneventful since Piper had no desire to spend them with her family, and Cal went to Neri's parent's home in the Hamptons, Alex and Piper settled into a routine.

Alex's bartending job was going well, though she only worked the day shift, which meant $80 to $100 in tips versus the $300 Rachel brought home on a typical Saturday night. Freedom was still precious to the dark haired woman, and she didn't complain about work. In her spare time when Piper was working, Alex enjoyed roaming around the city. She walked everywhere, window shopped, sat on a bench in the park and fed the pigeons bits of leftover bread, visited Farmer's Markets, and took in the occasional free or discounted show. At least that's what she'd told Piper.

Piper continued to work 80 hours each week, but it was perfectly fine with both of them when the first check arrived for $4,000 from Barney's. She spent most mornings at Poppy headquarters, which they'd need to move out of soon due to the growth of the business, and the evenings at home, updating the website and balancing the books.

One thing the women promised each other was that Saturday nights and Sunday mornings were for the two of them exclusively—no checking e-mails or making phone calls. Piper didn't mind the break; in fact, she savored it.

On one snowy Saturday night in early February, Piper attempted to make beef stew while Alex finished her shift at Vera's. The stew turned out better than the women expected, and the brunette teased her about the "very real possibility of becoming a kept woman."

After dinner, Alex played a Sam Cooke album on her record player, which she'd found buried in one of the boxes she'd retrieved from her cousin's house. They curled up on the sofa and drank hot buttered rum. When the song, _A Change is Gonna Come_, was over, Alex set her mug on the wooden coffee table and turned toward the blonde. "There's something I should tell you."

Piper looked concerned. "Ok," came out as half-statement, half-question.

"I've been doing something that you don't know about." She paused and took Piper's free hand in hers.

Bile rose in the blonde's throat as the first thought that ran through her mind was that Alex was back into drugs. She didn't want to admit that risk had always simmered right below the surface, and here she was, faced with that repulsive possibility.

She could feel her hand tremble as she placed her mug next to the other one. "Alex, you're scaring me."

"You don't need to be scared, babe." Alex let out a small laugh, and then somewhat timidly adjusted her glasses. "I wanted you to know that I've been…writing."

This news took Piper aback; it was the last thing she ever thought she'd hear Alex Vause announce. "Excuse me?"

"I started writing random shit in a notebook when you left Litchfield, and it became sort of a thing." Her usual tough exterior was replaced by what could only be described as reticence. "I hadn't read what I'd written until a couple of weeks ago, and it felt like I was reading someone else's words. It was fucking surreal."

Piper touched her lover's shoulder. "I didn't know you wrote."

She looked up and shrugged. "I didn't, until like six months ago."

The blonde trailed her hand down Alex's arm. "What did you write about?"

"My life of all things." She let out an ambiguous laugh. "And it's not past tense. I still write in the mornings after you leave for work. I think I'm up to 200 pages."

"That's like novel length." Piper picked up her hand and kissed it. "Is it cathartic?"

"At first, I guess it was, and it helped pass the time in prison." She brought Piper's hand to her lips. "But now it's bigger than that. Quite possibly _much_ bigger."

"What do you mean?" She lowered their joined hands to her lap.

"There's this 50-something year old guy who comes in for happy hour like three or four days a week," Alex began. "He orders whatever's on the rotating tap, and either a club sandwich or a bowl of chili. The more often he came in, the more we talked." She rubbed Piper's knuckles with the pad of her thumb. "Turns out, he's a publisher." She hooked one leg under the other. "I asked if he's bombarded with people he meets trying to sell their story, and our friendship, or whatever you want to call it, kind of grew from there."

"Yeah?" Piper encouraged her lover to continue.

"Anyway, I'd shared some stories about my life with him, and he asked if I was interested in getting my work reviewed." There was a glimmer in Alex's eyes. "At first, I laughed it off, thinking he was probably just this lonely guy, being nice to the bartender for a couple of free beers. Besides, who wants to read about my fucked up life, right?"

"It _is_ pretty fascinating though," the blonde admitted.

"I agreed to let him read what I'd written, but only while he was at the bar. And it's all longhand, by the way." She began talking more feverishly with her hands. "It took him three visits to read what I have so far, and he fucking couldn't get enough!"

"Al, that's amazing!" She squeezed her partner's calf.

"He asked me to type everything and to at least try to capture how the story ends, and he's going to show it to a couple of his colleagues at work to see if they agree that it's publishable." Her smile went from ear to ear. "Can you _fucking_ believe this shit?"

Piper was nearly speechless, and she couldn't help but mirror her lover's smile. "You deserve every bit of praise, I'm sure."

"Maybe I'm getting over-excited about all of it. I mean, what if they think it's juvenile or boring?" She stood and began to pace. "I don't know this guy; he might just be fucking with me."

"Do you have any proof that he's really a publisher?" Piper didn't want to doubt Alex's story, but she also wanted to protect her from disappointment. "People lie about their professions when they talk to hot bartenders."

She fished around in her purse and pulled out a small piece of paper, handing it to Piper. "He gave me his card. I've seen some of the stuff he works on at the bar, and it looks legit."

"George Manning, senior publisher, Four Way Books, Incorporated," the blonde read. "Looks real to me, unless he makes fake business cards. Have you done an internet search?"

"Yeah, he's been at the company for like 20 years." She continued pacing. "I don't want to allow myself to think of the possibilities if this really happens, but it's hard not to, you know?"

Piper nodded. "Can I read it?"

The brunette whipped her head around and looked at her girlfriend like she had three heads. "You want to read it?"

"Of course I do!"

Alex stood next to the sofa and rested a hand on Piper's head. "It's not finished yet."

"You let George read it," she reasoned, placing a hand behind Alex's thigh.

"Tell you what," Alex started. "Let me finish typing it, and then I'll give it to you. Deal?"

Piper pulled her lover's leg hard enough to make her collapse onto the sofa, halfway on top of her. "I'm really proud of you, Alex."

She kissed her firmly on the lips. "Thanks, babe."

* * *

Poppy sales were better than anticipated by the end of February, and neither woman could keep up with the demand. Polly confessed that she didn't want to work as much as she had been over the last few months, and Piper remembered that her friend was the beneficiary of a trust fund and certainly didn't need the money. This put them in a position of having to hire a full-time worker to assist the two interns that were already working their asses off. Plus, they'd have to relocate from the brownstone apartment to a warehouse sooner rather than later.

The good news was that Piper raked in $7,000 in two months, and all signs pointed towards that figure doubling if they could keep up with the demand. Poppy had expanded to two other Barney's locations in the Northeast, and the products were flying off the shelf. Internet orders were also up, and Piper had single-handedly fulfilled those orders since December.

As the lovers laid in bed after a particularly steamy round of pre-dawn sex, Piper excused herself to work on the website orders that were piling up.

The brunette followed her into the living room area, mere steps from their bed. "Now I know what you felt like all those years ago."

Piper powered on her computer, not looking up. "What?"

"You know, when I worked too much and didn't pay attention to you." She put her hands on the blonde's shoulders and massaged her tight muscles.

Piper moaned and closed her eyes. "We just had incredible sex, and you don't think I pay enough attention to you?"

"I'm not complaining about the sex, babe. That thing you did with your tongue a few minutes ago still has my body tingling." Alex leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I'm talking about the pact we made about Sunday mornings being our time together."

She rolled her head forward and allowed Alex to continue her ministrations on her shoulders. "Polly left me hanging, and I have 70 online orders to fill."

Alex's hands halted. "Let me help."

"Thanks, but I need more than a quick fix," Piper said, punching in her password. "I need someone to help with distribution full time."

"Let me help," the brunette reapeted as she pulled a stool across from her lover and sat down. "I moved thousands of dollars of heroin all over the world. I think I can handle shipping soaps and lotions to Bunny and Flicka in Beverly Hills."

That earned her a laugh. Alex had taken to teasing her partner about the wealthy, 20-something crowd who purchased the luxurious bath products.

"Don't tempt me," the blonde warned. "I might take you up on it."

Alex shut the cover of the laptop and stared at her girlfriend. "Do it. Take me up on my offer. I'll work two days at Vera's, continue to write in the mornings and work with you four days a week."

Piper's eyebrows nearly reached her hairline. "You're serious?"

"Why not?" She shrugged. "You know I'm good at shit like this. I'm a whiz with numbers, and I can move products pretty fucking efficiently."

"This isn't drugs and it isn't a game; this is my livelihood, Alex." Piper rested her elbows on the top of her shut laptop, her face a few inches from her partner's. "I can't afford to fuck it up."

The dark haired woman leaned forward, keeping eye contact and raising a single eyebrow. "_Our_ livelihood."

Their lips met in a soft kiss, which turned sloppy in an instant. Piper stood and walked over to her lover, straddling her on the stool. Alex wasted no time removing the blonde's t-shirt and bathing her breasts with kisses.

"You're fucking hot when you talk business," Alex admitted, alternating between sucking on nipples.

Piper's head rolled back as she troubled her lower lip, hands trapped in her partner's long, black hair.

"I want to travel the world with you again; take you to places we've never been." The brunette kissed a path up her neck, nipping at the skin behind her ear as she whispered, "Fuck you in a catamaran in the middle of the Aegean Sea."

The blonde pulled her lover's head toward her, burying her tongue in the other woman's mouth. Alex's hand journeyed further south until it reached her center. It only took a minute before Piper came loudly, calling out her girlfriend's name.

When she calmed down and her heart stopped racing, she planted a wet kiss on Alex's neck. "Then let's make some money."

* * *

Author's Note: I always hesitate to write 'vulnerable Alex,' but there have been several scenes on the show, proving that Alex isn't always the tough gal, and she's not always sure of herself. I hope I succeeded in this chapter when Alex tells Piper about her writing.


	9. Chapter 9

According to Alex, Vera was not thrilled about losing her as a bartender three days a week, but as a businesswoman herself, she understood. Piper and Alex had a series of firm conversations about working together and even had legal documents drawn up to protect both women _and_ the company. Polly had formally relinquished her share in Poppy, which made Piper the lone CEO. Alex was obviously more than "just another worker," and within two months, controlled the distribution and the books.

By the end of March, Poppy moved to a warehouse in Queens, not far from their apartment. Piper grossed $15,000 and all signs pointed to that number increasing steadily. Alex found more cost effective ways of distributing their products and secured a contract with several independent boutiques in Albany, Hartford and White Plains.

Piper asked Alex to take over the intern program, of which there were now three, and the brunette made it worth their while to remain loyal to the company by increasing their stipends by 15% if they stayed another year, plus she increased their work time by two hours per week. She met with them often to ensure that they were satisfied with their positions, but she made damn sure they knew who was in charge. Alex had told Piper once that handling interns was far easier than handling drug mules, and she enjoyed the fact that nothing she was doing could cause any of them to go to prison.

On a random Tuesday evening, Piper ordered Indian delivery, opened a bottle of Alcase pinot gris, and waited for Alex to return from her shift at Vera's. The women saw each other frequently, but the days of spending quality time together at home were few and far between. It put somewhat of a strain on their relationship, but Piper assured her lover that working this hard for a solid year would put them in a great position for years to come.

"Hey, babe." Alex strolled in and took off her coat. "Something smells good. Curry?"

"Good nose." The blonde kissed her on the lips. "I was just about to open wine."

She took the bottle out of Piper's hand and made quick work on the cork. "I have a surprise for you."

Piper fussed with the container of green curry. "I already heard about Royce accepting your offer."

"It's not that, although he was quite pleased to hear about the raise and has no intentions of interning anywhere else." She opened her laptop and sat at the counter, accepting the glass of white wine that her partner pushed toward her. "Here."

Piper licked the thick sauce off the spoon, and then glanced at the computer screen. Her eyes widened. "Your story!"

The brunette smiled. "Finished this morning."

Piper threw her arms around her girlfriend, nearly knocking her off the stool. "Wow, this is _huge_! Congratulations, Al!"

Alex pulled back, rubbing Piper's forearm. "Wanna read it?"

She nodded, and then kissed her tenderly on the mouth. "I'll stay up all night if that's what it takes."

And that she did.

Piper read every word of Alex's 'novel,' asking her lover to read a few chapters aloud. There were parts when tears came to her eyes, and parts that made her laugh. There was no question in the blonde's mind that her partner had a publishable story on her hands.

"Alex?" She placed a hand on her lover's sleeping head, which rested comfortably in her lap. "Al, I'm finished."

The dark haired woman made a grumbling sound, and then turned to face her. "Ow, my neck."

"You did it. I mean you _really_ did it." Piper smiled and brushed Alex's hair out of her face. "This is fantastic."

"You think so?" she asked in a groggy voice.

Piper nodded. "You're going to sell a lot of fucking books."

"Good. Now can we go to sleep?"

The blonde drug her to their bed, and they buried beneath the covers, holding each other as they drifted off to sleep in no time.

* * *

"I know what a _cochon de lait_ is, but I'm more than a little frightened by your brother being the orchestrator of the pig killing and subsequent roasting," Alex stated between bites of scrambled eggs.

"Me too, but I promised." Piper took a sip of orange juice. "We've been living together for almost as long as you've been out of prison, and you haven't even met Cal."

Alex tilted her head and smiled. "But I _feel_ like I know him."

"You'll love him and his eccentric wife." She washed her plate.

"So you've said." She took the last bite of eggs and brought her plate to the sink. "It's 35 degrees outside, and we're going to a pig roast in the middle of the fucking forest with two stoned hippies."

Piper playfully shoved her girlfriend with her hip. "Yes, and we need to leave in 30 minutes, which means you're taking a shower first."

"Are you saying that I take longer to get ready?" Alex asked with raised eyebrows.

The blonde stood behind her girlfriend and pushed her toward the bathroom. "No, I'm saying I have more willpower than you and can refrain from joining you in the shower, where we'd ultimately get delayed by having sex."

"Is that right?" Alex grinned mischievously. She put one hand on the door jamb, effectively stopping Piper from pushing her into the bathroom. "_I'm_ the one who lacks willpower?"

The blonde nodded and placed her hands on her hips. "Go."

"So if I took off my clothes…" The dark haired woman began to undress. "And rubbed my fingers on your skin just above your hip…And maybe dipped my head lower so that my mouth was level with your ear…And said dirty things, like how badly I want to lick your pussy…"

Piper couldn't handle her lover's husky voice and soft touch—a lethal combination that got her every time—so she captured Alex's lips with her own and touched her naked body, backing her up against the wall. The dark haired woman got on her knees and pulled down Piper's pajamas, wasting no time finding her wet center with her tongue. There was no question that Piper would come, but it happened faster than both women expected.

"Fuck you, Alex." Piper breathed heavily with a lazy smile on her lips. "We're going to be late."

They borrowed Royce the Intern's car in exchange for a day off and made the hour-long trek North. By the time they arrived, it had warmed up considerably and the sun was shining high in the sky.

"Sorry we're late," Piper announced bashfully, giving her partner a sidelong glance.

Alex clearly enjoyed their little secret as to why they were 20 minutes late. She pursed her lips, doing her best to contain a smile.

Cal and Neri greeted them with hugs and immediately offered cold beers that they'd brewed and bottled themselves.

"You brew beer, kill your own food and cook fucking feasts," Alex said with laughter lining her statement. "Is there anything you _can't_ do?"

"He can't clean," Neri answered.

"I _can_, I simply choose not to," Cal responded. "If you lived with Carol Chapman for 19 years, you'd get sick of cleaning, too."

Piper raised her beer. "Cheers to that."

An hour into the cochon de lait and sitting around the firepit guzzling beer, Piper could sense that Alex was enjoying herself. She hit it off with both Cal and Neri, just as Piper figured she would. They took a tour of the camper, and then Neri took Alex to check out the Maple taps. That left Cal and his sister alone.

"She's fucking hot," Cal said when the women were out of earshot.

Piper grinned. "Told you."

"Yeah, you said she was hot," Cal replied. "but I wasn't exactly sure what your definition of the word was. Now I see that we have a mutual understanding of hotness, and Alex is fucking _smokin'_."

"Easy, Cal." She took a sip of beer.

He adjusted the roasting mechanism. "Did Bloomer ever meet her?"

"Yeah, in prison." She assisted her brother, lowering the spit.

"I'd certainly feel inferior, competing with someone like that." He brushed his dirty hands on his pants.

His sister regarded him. "Did he tell you that?"

Cal shrugged. "No, but there was a point when you were in prison where he just seemed to give up. I'd put a hundred dollars on that coinciding with meeting Alex."

She put a hand on his arm. "I'd rather not talk about Larry."

"Fine. Let's talk about Alex. Does she happen to own leather pants? Not that she looks bad in those jeans."

Piper lightheartedly slapped her brother. "Cal!"

He laughed and scooted away. "I'm kidding, sis. I'm really happy for you. I mean it."

The two women returned with a large, opaque bottle. She glanced at Alex, who was smiling and chatting with Neri. It had been a long time since she'd really looked at her girlfriend and appreciated her natural beauty. Although she had on only a touch of makeup and lip gloss, her face was radiant. Her hair was dark and shiny, and Piper knew it smelled like campfire by now. Alex's body had curves in all the right places, and Piper could appreciate them even with her leather jacket zipped all the way up. She caught herself licking her lips when she admired her lover's ass, thinking about how she liked to hold it when they were fucking when Alex was on top.

"Look what I have." Alex dipped her finger into the bottle and put it in Piper's mouth. "Fresh Maple syrup."

"Mmm," Piper moaned. "Well done, Neri."

"I wish I could take credit for it, but the taps are all Cal." She sidled up next to her husband. "How much longer on the pig?"

"Twenty to thirty minutes." Cal held up two brown bottles. "Another beer?"

The four of them sat around the fire, alternating between warming their hands and drinking their beers. Piper leaned her head on Alex's shoulder and was rewarded with the brunette's hand on the side of her head and a kiss on her forehead.

They needed more of this, Piper thought; more time away from the hustle and bustle of their daily life, and more time to simply enjoy each other. She also liked the company of others and missed the friendships she had prior to entering prison. Hell, she missed the friends she made in prison as well and vowed to find out if Nicky, Lorna, Poussey, Taystee or Red had been released.

After eating too much pork and drinking too much beer, the women decided to call it a day and headed back to the city. Alex confessed that she had a far better time that she expected. Piper couldn't have been more pleased at the news and expressed her gratitude to her lover for giving it a chance.

The blonde reflected on the changes that had taken place over the past year, and she was thrilled at where her life had taken her. What surprised her more than anything wasn't the success of Poppy; rather, it was Alex's adaptation to an ordinary life. The uncertainty and anxiety that had simmered below the surface for so long had subsided—it was still present, but far less so than half a year ago. Piper discovered that a _busy_ Alex was a _happy_ Alex, and that when she became grumpy, which was rare, a healthy round of sex often cured what ailed her.


	10. Chapter 10

_Another Rated R chapter, so if you're underage, please stop reading now. Also, I forgot to mention that I do not own any of the characters in this story. If I did, they would have sex in every episode. These women are too hot for words._

* * *

In mid-May, the women had an eventful string of days, all of which deserved major celebration. Alex had her ankle monitor removed and was free to travel wherever the hell she chose, so they planned a trip to the Virgin Islands where she could get her hands on whatever money awaited her. She also had several meetings with her editor to get her book into ship shape. The most pressing questions were if Alex wanted the book to be fiction or non-fiction, and if she wanted to use a pseudonym. She had a meeting scheduled with a lawyer to figure out the repercussions of writing such a book if she used her real name, though both Kubra and Fahri were now in prison, so the threat from the organization was less than it was months ago. She was still working on a deal with George Manning, but she was confident that one would be forthcoming before the first of June. George had promised her no less than $3,000 upfront, and depending on sales, residual checks could range from $1,000 to $50,000 per month. The women refused to think about the high end of that possibility—they remained grounded and still a bit uncertain about the financial rewards of publishing a book.

Piper was in talks with Harrods department store in London to move their products overseas. Again, she and her partner refused to get ahead of themselves by thinking about how lucrative such a deal would be; however, they began considering a bigger warehouse/office if the deal went through. The other major consideration was their current studio apartment. It had been fine as a starter home for both women, but with the success of Poppy, the potential gold mine of Alex's book, and the money in the offshore account, they could now afford a larger space in the heart of Manhattan. Their lease was up in four months, so the time was ripe for a serious discussion.

Alex's final shift at Vera's happened on a Friday, but there wasn't much time for a going away party. She took the Subway home after receiving a cryptic text from Piper: "Please come home as soon as possible. Good news to share."

Alex jogged up the three flights of stairs and entered their apartment a little out of breath. "I got your text. What's going on?"

Piper had a bottle of Veuve Clicquot in one hand and two champagne flutes in the other. "Pack your bags, Al." She sauntered over to her lover. "We're going to London."

Alex took the glasses and set them down on the counter, mouth agape. "No fucking way!"

Piper nodded and hugged her partner tightly, still gripping the neck of the bottle with one hand. "I got a call from Mr. Al-Fayed an hour ago. His assistant booked two first-class tickets and a suite at the Savoy."

"Holy shit!" She pulled back and regarded her lover. "Pipes, this is really fucking _huge_."

"Hence the Veuve," she agreed.

"Let's pop this baby open." Alex removed the champagne from her hand and popped the cork, letting it fly across the room.

Piper was reminded of the time many years ago when Alex had hosted an oysters and champagne party in her old loft. She recalled how turned on she was when Alex opened a bottle of Chandon and licked the overflowing liquid off the neck with her tongue. Memories like this surfaced often, but she compartmentalized them so as not to allow the fear of what happened to their relationship _then_ affect her attitude and hope for the future _now_.

Piper pushed the flutes towards her, and Alex filled them to the brim after taking a long swig directly from the bottle. Both women raised their glasses for a toast.

"To hanging in there even when shit got real," Alex said with a satisfied smirk. "I love you, babe, and I'm _so_ fucking proud of you."

They clinked glasses and took a sip of champagne. Piper set down her glass, realizing that except in the throes of passion, Alex hadn't told her that she loved her since they were in prison.

"You said it." Piper blushed, wrapping her arms around the dark haired woman's neck.

Alex pushed her glasses on top of her head. "Said what?"

Piper pulled back enough to look Alex in the eye. "That you love me."

"Of course I love you." She grinned. "Was that even a question?"

The blonde shrugged. "You haven't said it since we've been out of prison, except during sex."

It was Alex's turn to put her champagne down. She grabbed both of Piper's hands and took a deep breath. "Piper, I've never stopped loving you—not for a second. True, you broke my fucking heart _at least_ twice, but..."

Piper felt tears welling up in her eyes.

"I keep coming back for more." She shrugged and laughed softly at her lack of self-control. "Maybe I'm a masochist, but I _do_ love you and can't imagine that changing…ever."

Piper closed the distance between them, kissing her lover softly on the lips. There was no question that they were going to make love, and it was the most tender moment Piper could ever remember having with Alex. It wasn't about orgasms or who could get who off faster—it was about sharing a life together _even when shit got real_.

* * *

Although Piper had bought a decent amount of new clothing since her release from prison a year ago, she did so within a tight budget. She had more money now than she'd even had when she and Larry were a couple, but she spent it wisely, until news of their trip to London.

"Get dressed, we're going shopping." Alex slipped on a pair of jeans.

"Shopping?" Piper was just out of the shower, brushing her hair. "For what? I went to the grocery store yesterday. Thanks for leaving one sip of milk in the carton, by the way."

"We're going to _London_, babe." Alex replied with a wicked grin. "Let's look the fucking part."

Even before the Harrods deal was confirmed, Piper was raking in $5,000 a month. Alex was no slouch—she received a $3,000 advance from Four Way Books, plus she earned another $3,000 per month from her work for Poppy.

They entered Barney's together and headed to the women's section on the third floor. When Alex spotted a sales person who she deemed worthy of their business, she greeted the woman near the Rag &amp; Bone section.

"Hi, I'm Alex, and this is my partner, Piper," she stated with efficiency. "We're here to drop a shitload of money. Can you assist us?"

Piper stared at her lover with amusement and shock, allowing her to continue.

"My name is Chloe, and I'd be happy to help."

"Thank you," Alex began, folding her arms. "Pipes, tell Chloe the look you're going for."

Piper was incredibly turned on by her partner's control of the situation, and it took her a moment to snap back to reality. "Oh, right. I'm, um, looking for something business-like but a little sexy."

"I can help with that," Chloe said. "What colors do you prefer? You probably look great in lighter tones, but I could see you rock darker shades, too."

Within 15 minutes, Piper was in a dressing room with piles of clothing to try on. Alex, for her part, tried on three pairs of slacks, two blouses and a dress and ended up purchasing every item without hesitation. She'd pulled Chloe aside to inform her that this shopping spree was about Piper, not her, and she deserved the sales woman's fullest attention.

"How does this look?" Piper stepped out with a pleated Zeya skirt and a flowing white blouse.

"Hot," Alex said, sipping a glass of Prosecco that Chloe had offered. "But that's probably going to be my response to everything you try on."

Piper pushed up the long sleeves. "I need you to be objective, Al."

"That's what Chloe's for." The brunette ran her hand down Piper's arm. "I'm just here to observe."

Since they had the dressing room entirely to themselves, Piper left the door open to her individual stall, giving her partner a clear view of her constantly removing and trying on clothes. She could see Alex getting turned on as she adjusted in her seat several times and fidgeted with her eyeglasses. The blonde enjoyed putting on a show for her lover, making mental notes of what bothered Alex the most so she could perform a similar act at home.

After the tenth outfit that Piper tried on, Alex couldn't take it any longer. "Chloe, would you give us a few minutes? I'll come find you when we're ready."

The well-dressed woman nodded. "I'll be at the register; take your time."

As soon as the sales associate was out of view, Alex backed Piper up against the mirrored wall and kissed her firmly on the mouth. Her tongue probed her lover's mouth while her hands roamed down the bra and thong-clad blonde.

"Alex, this is a public dressing room," she protested. "We cannot makeout in here!"

"We're about to spend upwards of $3,000 on clothing, which is more than Chloe makes in several months." The dark haired woman grinded against her. "I'm confident that we can count on her discretion." She kissed a trail down Piper's neck, while her hand journeyed south, past her navel. "And I intend to do more than just _makeout_ with you, babe."

With Alex's fingers in just the right spot, Piper's mouth opened and her head turned to the side, allowing Alex full access to the left side of her neck. She watched the brunette's ministrations in the mirrors surrounding them, which turned her on even more.

"Like what you see?" Alex breathed heavily in her ear.

"Yes," Piper panted.

That was all of the encouragement the dark haired woman needed. She sped up the movement of her hand and nipped and sucked on the skin just below her collarbone until Piper's orgasm hit hard.

"Shh, shh, shh," Alex warned, covering her girlfriend's mouth with her free hand. "Come for me quietly, Piper."

Her spasms subsided, and Alex removed her fingers from inside of her lover.

"Oh my God, Alex." Piper gasped. "I can't believe we did that."

"Did you enjoy?" The brunette found two napkins on the side table where her champagne flute sat and wiped her hands.

"What does it look like?" The blonde's body was lithe, and she could hardly stand up straight.

"I'm going to go to the restroom to clean up." Alex kissed her on the cheek. "Why don't you get dressed and I'll meet you out there?"

Piper nodded, too spent to reply. She overheard Alex tell the sales clerk, "Thank you for your help today, Chloe. We're going to buy everything in that dressing room. Here's a credit card. I'll be back shortly."

* * *

Author's Note: One more chapter before the epilogue. Thank you for the reviews. They make me feel good.


	11. Chapter 11

Piper had been to London several times in her younger years while traveling with Alex, but it was mostly one-night layovers near Heathrow on the way to their next exotic location. Only once did the women spend two nights in the heart of the city, while Alex waited for her next assignment.

They'd stayed at the Millennium Hotel on Grosvenor Square and had a party in the room on the second night that caused $5,000 worth of damage to the property—broken chandelier, stains on the carpet, balcony door ripped off, etc. At that point, Piper had only traveled with Alex to Bora Bora and Manila, so she was new to the whole international drug cartel experience and had no idea prior to leaving the US how much these people liked to party. They didn't care about expenses or rules, and Piper loved their hedonistic ways for a while.

This time, Piper reflected, would be dramatically different. Alex might have considered herself a businesswoman back then, but now her business was legitimate, and she had a long-term stake in Poppy's success.

They boarded British Airways, took their seats in the front of the plane, and immediately Piper's mind was flooded with memories from her travels around the world, when sometimes she boarded a plane and didn't even know her final destination.

"You ok, Pipes?" Alex put a hand on her arm. "You look kind of green."

"Just thinking about the times we used to fly together," she admitted. "And how glad I am to be on the other side of all of that."

The brunette leaned over, placing a kiss on her temple. "It was fun while it lasted."

The engines roared as the plane climbed altitude. Piper tried her best to keep her voice down. "It was fun for like six months, then not so much."

"Do you really want to talk about this?" the dark haired woman questioned with raised brows. "We're going to London for _your_ business. There's nothing shady about this trip. Own that, Piper. _Nothing_ is the same as before."

The blonde looked up at her partner. "Except that we're together."

"But in a very different way." Alex tilted her head and placed a strand of blonde hair behind Piper's ear. "I pride myself on consistency, and I _am_ pretty much the same person I was back then, but with a hell of a lot more perspective. Nothing like a prison sentence to get your priorities straight."

Piper smiled, and then leaned in to kiss Alex. She placed a tender kiss on her cheek first, then on the side of her mouth. "I love you," she whispered against her lover's full lips.

When they arrived at Heathrow, a limo driver greeted them in baggage claim with a sign reading _Piper Chapman &amp; Alex Vause_. The blonde promised herself to stop making comparisons between this trip and the trips in the past involving the international drug cartel, because she _could_ make glaringly obvious links, and those would drive her insane.

* * *

Their suite at the Savoy was luxurious—floor to ceiling windows covered partially by creamy, silk drapes, two leather loungers on either side of a gold and glass end table, a king sized bed with no fewer than 10 fluffy, white pillows. The entire room smelled like fresh linen. Piper noticed a bottle of champagne, chilling in a silver ice bucket with two flutes and a basket of chocolates and candies next to it. She retrieved the card from the basket and read aloud: "Welcome to London. I look forward to meeting you in person tomorrow. Sayeed Al-Fayed."

The phone rang after only five minutes of them being in the room.

"Hello?" Piper answered.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Chapman, this is Belinda at the front desk. How does your room suit you and Ms. Vause?"

"It's lovely." The blonde smiled.

"Wonderful. Mr. Al-Fayed requested that I call to make dinner reservations for you and Ms. Vause if you should like. His compliments, of course."

"Um, hold on please." She put a hand over the mouth piece of the phone. "Alex, it's the front desk. She said that Mr. Al-Fayed wants to make a dinner reservation for us. I'm pretty sure he'd cover the cost."

"Sure." She grinned, hanging up a dress in the closet.

"Hello, thank you for holding. We'd be happy to accept dinner reservations."

"Very well. Mr. Al-Fayed suggested Simpson's in the Strand. I think you'll find their traditional menu to your liking, but you are most welcome to order off-menu, and the chef will prepare any meal you desire."

The blonde was taken aback. "That sounds lovely, thank you."

They finished the call, arranging dinner at 8 pm with a personal driver at their service.

"Holy shit," Piper remarked, walking towards her girlfriend. "This is big, Al. I mean, would Mr. Al-Fayed be rolling out the red carpet like this if he wasn't interested in Poppy?"

"He wants your product, babe." Alex took her hand, kissing the back of it. "It's just details now."

"I hope you're right," she sighed and rubbed her eyes. "I think jet lag has set in. Do we have time for a nap?"

"You sleep. I've got to make a call to my editor." Alex rubbed the back of her partner's head and kissed her forehead. "l'll join you in a few."

* * *

Their five course meal at Simpsons was delectable, but Piper's nerves got the best of her by dessert, and she was ready to turn in for the night. Alex had tried to convince her to go to a club nearby, but the blonde asked for a rain check, promising she'd take her up on a night of boozing and dancing if the deal went through.

Piper woke up an hour before her partner, took a shower and reviewed her research on Harrods that she'd printed two weeks prior. She knew that the department store already carried eight bath products, and the rumor was that Aerin Beauty was on its way out due to steep price increases. The blonde wouldn't dare compare Poppy's $20 lotion to Aerin's $58 product, so she was hoping that Mr. Al-Fayed was looking for a bargain as well as a decent product.

The thing that weighed heavily on Piper's mind was that Poppy prided itself on its hand poured soaps and lotions. They didn't run a factory, and except for Polly, all of the original employees were still invested in the company, including the three college interns. She understood that if the Harrods deal was successful, she'd have to consider automating the operation—something she did not look forward to.

"Good morning." Alex stretched and yawned. "I didn't hear you get up."

She turned around in the desk chair. "I've been up for an hour."

Alex sat up, and Piper noticed her naked, pale breasts.

"Big day. Nerves will do that to you."

The blonde stood and walked over to the bed, thighs hitting the mattress. "This is a big fucking deal."

"I know." Alex wrapped an arm around her thigh. "You're going to do great."

"Thank you." She kissed her partner on top of her head, then walked back towards the desk. "I don't want to get my clothes all wrinkled."

The brunette reached for her glasses. "You look great, by the way."

Piper had chosen a knee-length, dark gray pencil skirt with a decent slit up the back along with a modest pink, cashmere sweater.

"You're sure it's not too conservative?" the blonde questioned, regarding herself in the mirror.

Alex stood behind her, arms surrounding her waist. "You're going to wear the black-seamed French stockings and your Louboutins?"

Piper nodded.

"Then, no, it's not too conservative." She kissed her on the neck, and then padded to the bathroom.

They rehearsed for the next hour until it was time to depart. Alex continued encouraging her partner even when they sat in the waiting area of the Harrods headquarters. The dark haired woman had a small role in this meeting, but a critical one: money. Alex knew every line item in their budget and every expense they incurred. She knew what a low-ball offer would look like and what the company should settle for in the end. Until Alex's involvement with Poppy, Piper had never seen the way that woman conducted business other than charming clients and potential drug mules. She was thoroughly impressed by her partner's prowess and wished she had even half the confidence of her counterpart.

There were a total of five people in the oval-shaped office, and the first 10 minutes involved introductions and Piper arranging a display of samples. They discussed history, ingredients, packaging and other facts about Poppy that were easy for Piper to address. When it came time to discuss finances, the blonde's palms began to sweat, and she was eager to pass the ball to Alex.

It was evident that Mr. Al-Fayed and his colleagues had done their research—he cited Poppy's overall operating costs and the per-item cost of a bar of soap versus body wash.

"You have an attractive product, Ms. Chapman. As you well know, it's an economic decision in the end," he stated. "You may have heard that our relationship with Aerin Beauty ended due to a financial disagreement."

"Completely understandable, Mr. Al-Fayed," Alex jumped in, swiveling her chair to face him. "We're both business people who appreciate the bottom line. Ms. Chapman and I wouldn't be here if we didn't believe in this potential partnership."

Mr. Al-Fayed turned his head towards Alex, who hadn't said a word beyond introducing herself. "Ms. Vause, I wasn't aware that you handled finances."

She crossed her legs and gave him a closed-lip smile. "I do, among other things."

"Very well, then," he replied. "We're interested in beginning with your fall line—a possible inventory of 5,000 of each product to start."

Piper's eyes widened. If anything, she expected 2,000-3,000, which worried her from a production standpoint, plus, she wasn't sure how her partner would handle such a demand.

Alex steepled her hands. "As you know, we pride ourselves on hand pouring every single product. It allows us to ensure quality, plus it gives us superior lotions and soaps."

He shrugged, seemingly unimpressed. "And?"

The brunette leaned forward, eyes never leaving the businessman's face. "And delivering 5,000 items in approximately two months is going to be an issue for our team."

Piper swallowed hard; Alex's face remained stoic.

"We are a large department store, Ms. Vause." He let out a dubious chuckle. "An order of 5,000 items is considered _small_ to us."

The blonde wiped her sweaty palms on her skirt and willed Alex to recover from this. She would've jumped in if she knew what the fuck to say.

Alex didn't flinch. "I'm not suggesting that we _can't_ fulfill the order, Mr. Al-Fayed, but it will come at a premium."

"Normally I'm not one to do this, but why don't _you_ present an offer." He folded his arms.

Piper's stomach churned—this was not in any of her notes nor was it something they'd rehearsed or planned for in any way. If it were her handling the matter, she'd need a calculator and scratch paper to even begin to present an offer.

"There are six items in the fall line—two scents each with a bar of soap, body wash and lotion," Alex stated, lifting her chin a bit. "We'll accept $90,000 for the order, delivered on August 15."

They'd never discussed this. Alex had told her partner that Mr. Al-Fayed would likely offer between $30,000 and $40,000, but that was for a much smaller order. Piper was conflicted—on the one hand, she wanted to stop the meeting and talk to Alex about logistics. On the other, she trusted her partner implicitly.

"That's unrealistic." He consulted with the man to his right. "We need delivery by August 1, and are willing to pay $80,000."

"So close, Mr. Al-Fayed." Alex smiled fully this time and rested her glasses on top of her head. "For $85,000, you have a deal."

He regarded his colleagues, each of whom nodded. "Well played, Ms. Vause. You have a deal."

She smiled again, and then stood to shake the gentleman's hand followed by the other two men at the table. Piper followed suit, her brain still not fully comprehending what had just transpired.

"We'll draw up papers and deliver them to your hotel before you leave," the man with the red tie said.

Alex put her hand on the small of Piper's back, escorting her out of the room and towards the elevator. Once they were safely inside, Piper spoke. "Are you fucking kidding?"

"Nice and easy, babe." Alex looked straight ahead. "Sometimes the walls have ears."

They walked briskly through the lobby and finally stepped into the waiting limousine.

"Now we can celebrate." Alex smirked.

Piper threw her arms around her lover. "Did we just make a deal for $85,000?!"

"We did." She returned the hug. "Happy?"

"Beyond!" Piper's eyes grew darker as she kissed a trail from her cheek to her mouth. "I'm going to take you to the hotel," she began. "And fuck you senseless."

"Mmmm." Alex thrusted her tongue into her lover's mouth. "Now _that_ is an offer I can't refuse."

* * *

That night, Alex took Piper to another fancy London restaurant, where they sat at the chef's table and ordered filet mignon and lobster. They shared a bottle of Bordeaux and enjoyed a triple-layer trifle for dessert.

As promised, Piper went to a nightclub with her lover after dinner. She couldn't remember the last time they'd danced together—perhaps it was in Milan when a fight broke out on the dance floor, and Alex almost pulled Piper's arm out of the socket as they fled the scene. In New York, they didn't have the time, money or energy to "go clubbing," and Piper had no idea what the latest songs or dance moves were. She caught herself laughing at the very thought of trying to fit in with the younger crowd.

"What's so funny?" Alex handed her a cocktail.

"It's just…everyone is so young." Piper took a sip of the dirty martini. "It's been a while since I've danced."

The brunette chuckled, putting a hand on her lower back. "I'm pretty sure the motions are still the same." She led her to a booth at the far end of the bar.

The blonde swung her head around, glancing at the crowded dance floor below. "Do you mind if we watch first?"

She swallowed her whiskey and gave her girlfriend a mischievous grin. "Not at all."

They sipped their drinks as the music seemed to get louder and the crowd thickened. Alex put an arm around her lover's shoulders, and Piper leaned into her side. The combination of liquor and the events of the day left her feeling drained, but sitting this close to Alex and seeing contentment on her face made it worth being there.

Piper closed her eyes and reflected on the ways Alex still made her feel: love, affection, passion, lust, loyalty and all of the other things a partner should feel for the other. Suddenly, a new feeling washed over her; one that she never expected to feel with Alex: _safe_. The last time they'd ventured abroad, she feared for her well-being at every turn, never knowing if she'd be whisked away to some dank, foreign prison _just for being connected to Alex Vause._

Here they sat, in a nightclub 3,000 miles from home, and Piper could honestly say that she felt safe with this most unlikely woman—this former member of an international drug cartel who happened to steal her heart.

A cocktail waitress appeared before them. "Can I get you anything?"

Alex turned to her partner with a questioning look.

"Yes." Piper gulped the last of her martini. "Two shots of tequila and some water, please."

"To sit in this booth, you need to order bottle service," the waitress replied in a condescending tone.

Alex flung her dark hair off one of her shoulders and leaned back. "Then make it a bottle of Rey Sol Anejo and two bottles of water."

"Right away." She strolled off as the DJ eased into another song.

"Fucking bitch," Alex said under her breath.

"Come on." Piper shimmied out of the booth, plucked an olive into her mouth and held out her hand. "Forget about her. Dance with me."

The dark haired woman followed her down the steps onto the swarming dance floor as the thumping bass rattled the speakers. Piper placed one hand on her partner's shoulder and the other at the small of her back. She loved that part of Alex's body—where her back and ass met—and felt like her hand should take up permanent residence there. The brunette put her forearms on Piper's shoulders, angling her hands up to tangle in the blonde's hair.

It didn't take them long to find the rhythm and to sway to the music in unison. Their bodies gravitated towards each other, and before long, their torsos were fused together until Piper turned around, allowing Alex to move behind her and pull her back to the other woman's chest. She scooped Piper's hair to the side, and placed open mouthed kisses on the column of her milky-white neck.

Not to be outdone, Piper reached around, putting her hands on her lover's leather-clad ass and moved their hips in time with the music. Anyone observing the couple surely would have thought that these two women were_ really good at fucking_.

After two more songs, Alex pulled her girlfriend back to their booth where the $400 bottle of tequila awaited them. While the brunette poured two shots, Piper guzzled half a bottle of water.

"I don't think we should go to the Virgin Islands," Alex announced without preamble over the music.

Piper halted her movement and stared at her lover. "What?"

"I don't think we should go to the Virgin Islands," she repeated. "At least not for the money."

The blonde sat in the booth and dabbed her sweaty forehead with a napkin. "Why not? Are you afraid that the money's not there—that Fahri fucked you over and cleared out the bank account?"

Alex shook her head. "He wouldn't do that. He's a manipulative bastard, but I _earned_ that money. He wouldn't take it away."

"You're just full of surprises today." Piper downed her shot of tequila. "First, you masterminded the Harrods deal and now you're giving up a chance to put your hands on some serious cash? Something's not adding up."

"We don't need it. I mean, look at us. We just scored an $85,000 order from Harrods, Barney's is about to put our products in another three locations, and my book is coming out next month." She shrugged. "We don't need the money, Pipes, and if I'm being honest, I'd rather not have fucking drug money on my hands."

That last line surprised Piper most. Inside a year ago, her girlfriend would have moved heaven and earth to get a hold of even $1,000.

The blonde regarded her. "What did you do with the old Alex?"

"You want her back?" she snickered, tipping back the tequila shot.

"No!" she exclaimed. "I'm just shocked that you're willing to leave upwards of $20,000 on the table. The old Alex wouldn't dream of doing that."

"I told you," the dark haired woman began. "I'm the same person, just with a different perspective. And different priorities, I suppose."

"Then let's not go." Piper swept her lips across Alex's ear. "Let's leave the money."

"Are you fucking kidding me? I'm not passing up the opportunity to see you in a bikini." She cackled. "We can still go to the Virgin Islands, babe. We just won't go to the bank."

"Is that all you want to do?" Piper lifted one of her legs over Alex's under the table and placed her hand high on the brunette's thigh. "Is _see_ me in a bikini?"

She shook her head, bit her lip and leaned in close. "Speaking of bikinis, let's go back to the hotel and you can try one on for me."

"Sounds like a plan." The blonde grinned. "Bring the tequila."

* * *

Author's Note: If you're curious about the song I had them dancing to, it's Dream Machine by Mark Farina featuring Sean Hayes. There's something about the beat that screams sexy to me, and I love the line about the _rattlesnake charmer_ on the dance floor. That's Alex all the way.

Epilogue will be posted tomorrow. Thank you for reading and for the reviews.


	12. Epilogue

Although Alex's book never made it to any of the bestsellers lists, she sold more than 800,000 copies and grossed a handsome sum. She, along with the advice of her attorney, decided to use an alias for her own safety, but that didn't stop a few people—decent people—from figuring out the author's true identity. She was asked to speak at local events, high schools, and colleges, and often got paid for her time.

The success of Poppy had as much to do with Alex as it did Piper. They decided to keep the operation in the Queens warehouse and to pour their products by hand. They'd had to hire three more full-time employees, and they kept the internship program running strong through Pace University. The Harrods deal put a strain on the relationship between the two women for a couple of months as each worked between 90 and 100 hours per week, including time packaging items one by one, but once the original Harrods' order was filled, they vowed to never let that happen again, even if it meant less take home pay.

They returned to London for the debut of Poppy at Harrods and decided to take three weeks off to slow down and enjoy each other's company. Of course, there was still work to be done even while they were abroad, but working 20 hours a week from a remote location was far better than the hours they'd logged over the past six months in New York. They traveled to Barcelona, the French Riviera and Northern Italy, staying in quaint hotels along the way. There were nights when they sweat on the dance floor until 3 a.m. and nights when they went to sleep at 9 p.m. They made love under the shade of an oak tree and fucked in the middle of a lavender field. Every day was a new adventure, and both of them soaked it up, still enjoying their freedom, their money and each other. One thing that never got old was waking up every morning without fear of a drug raid or a prison guard walking by.

A full two years after Alex's release from Litchfield, the women decided it was time to move out of their cramped, 450 square foot studio apartment and into something more spacious on the Upper West Side. They found a fully renovated, two-story brownstone two blocks from a Subway station that appealed to both women.

Life moved at a rapid pace, but they never let their routine become boring. When Alex started feeling a bit claustrophobic, Piper whisked her away to Montreal or Boston or some other Eastern seaboard city for the weekend. They went to the theater once a month and tried a different restaurant every week. Piper got back into jogging and yoga, while Alex developed an affinity for New World wines. She was planning a trip for the two of them to Napa Valley in the fall.

* * *

After realizing that their Saturday nights were booked for the next two months, Piper convinced a stubborn Alex to host a housewarming brunch instead of a cocktail party or dinner. They invited an eclectic group of guests, knowing full well that it could either be a disastrous choice or filled with fascinating conversations. The ones who showed included Cal and Neri, George Manning and his wife, Rachel and her new girlfriend, Lorna Morello, who had recently been released from Litchfield, and the three former interns, now full-time employees at Poppy.

Piper had woken up at dawn to begin cooking, and Alex woke up an hour later, reaching for her lover and not finding her in bed. The kitchen looked like a bag of flour had exploded, but Piper assured the brunette that she had everything under control.

The guests complimented Piper on the food, and the Quiche Lorraine was a particular hit. Piper was bowled over by the praise, and even more struck by the fact that George's wife wanted one of the recipes.

Just before dessert, which consisted of chocolate éclairs and profiteroles that Alex had insisted on purchasing from the bakery down the street, Lorna and Alex found themselves at the opposite end of the room near the bar.

"I know that look," Lorna said with a smile plastered on her face.

Alex filled a glass with ice cubes. "What look?"

"The look of love," she said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "My sister used to tell me I looked at Christopher that way."

"Well, I guess I _should_ love Piper considering we live together." She smirked and handed Lorna a freshly made Bloody Mary.

"It's more than that." She plucked an olive off the spear in her Bloody Mary with her front teeth. "I remember watching you two when we were at Litchfield, and I could tell there was something there even before you two made it public. But the way you look at Chapman now is different; it's more…relaxed."

"Not a lot of relaxation happening in prison, Morello," Alex reasoned.

Lorna smiled broadly. "Yeah, yeah, but you loved her then, and you love her now."

The taller woman shook her head and huffed. "If you would've told me even two years ago that I'd be living in a brownstone on the Upper West Side and hosting a _fucking brunch_, I would've told you, 'No fucking way. That's not me.'" Alex looked up and sighed. "I don't even know how I got here, to tell you the truth. I look back on the past ten years and wonder how in the hell I ended up with _Piper Fucking Chapman_, making a decent living and actually being _happy_."

"Happiness looks good on you," Lorna replied.

Alex looked across the room and observed Piper gesticulating wildly with her hands, telling the Cal and Neri a story about the time she put dishwashing detergent in the laundry machine.

"Sometimes I catch a glimpse of her doing something completely familiar, like putting her hair in a ponytail or stirring a pot on the stove, and I can't tear my eyes away. I mean, _who am I_, right?" Alex let out a truncated laugh. "I'm the chick with the tattoos who ran a fucking international drug operation. I'm unpredictable and dangerous—or at least I was." She pushed her glasses higher on her nose. "And now I'm this domestic, partnered, conventional woman."

Lorna tilted her head. "Is that so bad?"

"No." Alex snapped out of her musing. "I'd be lying if I said it didn't scare the crap out of me sometimes, but most of the time, I love it. That's the part that shocks the hell out of me—that I could love this fucking ordinary life."

Lorna rubbed Alex's arm and leaned in close. "You're a very lucky woman, Vause."

Just then, Piper approached with an empty champagne flute ready to be refreshed. She circled Alex's waist with her left arm. "It just got awfully quiet over here. What are you two gossiping about?"

"I was just saying that you two make a lovely couple." Lorna smiled. "Thank you for inviting me. I'm glad we're still friends outside of prison."

"Me, too." Piper smiled at the shorter woman. "You're welcome here any time."

* * *

The guests departed at 2 p.m., and the women spent 30 minutes cleaning. There was only one party foul: Royce spilled some of his Bloody Mary on their new rug, but it was nothing that a little Spray-N-Wash couldn't handle.

"I never thought I'd utter the words, 'I hosted brunch' in my life," Alex said, carrying the last of the dirty dishes to the kitchen. "In fact, I don't think I've ever _been_ to brunch."

The blonde rinsed the dishes and placed them into the dishwasher (a luxury appliance that she often praised to anyone who would listen.)

Alex poured two mimosas. "In my estimation, brunch is just an excuse to booze during breakfast."

The blonde giggled as she wiped crumbs off the counter. She took the proffered champagne flute. "I think we might have gotten George's wife drunk."

"I think _you_ might've gotten _me_ drunk," the brunette announced.

"Nooo! Really?" Piper swatted playfully at her arm.

"I'm tipsy, that's for sure. Sparkling wine does it to me every time." She grabbed her girlfriend's hand and pulled her towards their new, plush sofa. "Did you enjoy hosting, Betty Crocker?"

"I did." Piper kissed Alex's shoulder, and then rested her head on it. "But it's a lot of fucking work."

"I told you we should've gotten it catered," she complained, taking a small sip.

"I wanted to cook something in our home," Piper countered, swinging her bare feet onto the coffee table and crossing her legs at the ankles. "Even if it tasted bad, at least I made it."

Alex kissed her on the side of the head. "Everything was delicious, babe, even the fucking quiche."

They were silent for a moment, enjoying their mimosas and the stillness around them.

Alex released a long breath as she absentmindedly played with a strand of blonde hair. "Do you ever think about marriage?"

Piper lifted her head and stared at her partner. "I used to think about it a lot; now, not so much."

"Do you think you would've been happy with Larry?" she asked, still toying with her lover's hair, but not looking directly at her.

She'd considered that question internally for years, but this was the first time Alex had asked about it. She paused before carefully responding, "I think ultimately, I would've realized that I was living the life everyone else wanted for me, not the life I wanted for myself." She sat up straight, putting her feet on the ground, and turning her body towards her partner. "God knows, I never want to go back to prison, but without having been there, I don't think I'd have the outlook I do now."

The dark haired woman smirked and rubbed her girlfriend's knee. "That's pretty fucking mature, Pipes."

"What made you ask that?"

Alex stilled her hand and looked at Piper's wide, blue eyes. "I've been thinking about it recently."

"Marriage?"

"Yeah." She shrugged. "I mean, I never thought about it, like _ever_, until this year, but now I can't fucking _stop_ thinking about it."

Piper's forehead creased. "I had no idea."

"I can't fathom being with anyone else." The brunette sat a little taller. "You make me laugh, you make me cry on occasion, you listen to me, and you support some of my ridiculous ideas. Even after 15 years, I still think you're the sexiest fucking woman on the planet." She shoved a piece of hair behind her ear and smiled demurely, and the blonde thought for a split second that Alex might cry. "Piper, I know this might sound fucking insane coming from me, but I think we should get married."

"Now I _know_ you're drunk," Piper teased with a slap on her leg.

The dark haired woman scooted towards the end of the cushion and took Piper's hand in hers. "I'm serious. What's stopping us?"

Piper sobered. "We've never had this conversation, for one."

"Let's have it now." She pushed her glasses on top of her head. "Do you want to marry me?"

Piper felt dizzy—she'd never considered marriage with Alex because she didn't think her lover was the marrying kind. She had only just come to accept the fact that Alex truly did love her and wasn't going to run off to God-knows-where because she was bored.

She took a deep breath. "I knew from the moment you met me in that dilapidated greenhouse that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you, Al." Piper squeezed her girlfriend's hand. "And I guess I never really cared what that looked like in terms of defining things."

"So what if it looks like a ring and a piece of paper that legally binds us together?" Alex questioned.

Piper raised her eyebrows. "Does this have something to do with the legal part?"

"No!" Alex shook her head. "It has to do with the _I-don't-want-to-spend-a-single-day-without-you_ part."

The blonde ran the pad of her thumb across her girlfriend's knuckles and looked up from their joined hands. "Are you proposing to me, Alex?"

"I don't have a ring, but yeah, I guess I am." She kissed the back of Piper's hand. "You want me to get down on one fucking knee?" She asked with some amount of giddiness.

Piper bit her lower lip and felt the sting of tears, threatening to fall.

Alex smiled and grabbed both of her lover's hands, placing them in her lap. "You're it for me, Pipes. I'll take you and this ordinary life…forever. Let's fucking get married."

The blonde grabbed Alex's face with both hands, planting kisses on her cheeks, chin and then on her mouth. In between kisses, Piper chanted, "_Yes_," and realized that there was nothing wrong with ordinary.

The End.

* * *

Author's Note: Thank you for coming along on this ride. I thoroughly enjoyed writing this story, and I'm thrilled to share it with you. Thanks for the reviews-I'd love to know what you think now that the book is closed.


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